Ø REGISTER anyone who is denied a pistol purchase permit by his

sheriff into a DATABASE with the State Bureau of Investigation.

Ø Keep the denial in the SBI database for 8 YEARS.

Ø Require the denial to appear in all subsequent records checks.

Unlike concealed handgun permits, which are “sheriff shall issue,” sheriffs have broad latitude in denying pistol purchase permits. Reasons for which sheriffs may deny permits under G.S. 14-404--beyond finding a criminal background--include:

Ø Limiting number of permits issued per year.

Ø Deciding that you are not of “good moral character.”

Translation: Let’s say you are a resident of Durham County, where the sheriff demands you bring someone to attest to your “character.” Let’s say you make the application but are unable (or unwilling) to provide the “character witness.” Or perhaps you forgot that you had already been issued as many purchase permits as the sheriff decides you ought to have, and you submit another. Congratulations. In either case, you would now be enshrined in the SBI database.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

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Dear Judiciary III Committee member:

I strongly urge you to oppose HB 1287, "Report Denial of Some Pistol Permits, which should more properly be titled the “Gun Buyer Registration Act.”

Because sheriffs have broad discretion in denying pistol purchase permits, including for arbitrary reasons such as deciding the applicant is not of “good moral character,” under HB 1287 gun buyers who have committed no crime could find themselves enshrined in a State Bureau of Investigation database.

Please advise me of your position on HB 1287. I will be monitoring all actions on the bill via Grass Roots North Carolina legislative alerts.

Sincerely,

A Concerned North Carolina Voter