GRNC Alert: Act now to pass constitutional carry!

Last week, legislative team volunteers led by GRNC president Paul Valone delivered a hand truck full of petitions calling for constitutional carry to Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, arguably the most powerful politician in the state, and then held a press conference on his doorstep. That is called “speaking truth to power.”

The effort kicked off GRNC’s renewed campaign to pass House Bill 189, “Freedom to Carry NC,” sponsored by Rep. Keith Kidwell (R-Beaufort, Dare, Hyde, Pamlico, GRNC ****). The bill stalled last year when Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger told reporters that, having repealed the pistol purchase permit law, legislators had no “need” to address another gun bill. GRNC president Paul Valone has countered that ours is a Bill of Rights, not “needs,” and that Sen. Berger is not a self-appointed arbiter of “needs.”

When Berger conceded later to reporters that “Constitutional carry is something that is worth talking about. We’ll talk with our members and see whether there is an appetite to move forward with it,” Valone responded: “We’re the ‘members’ who gave you a supermajority, Sen. Berger, so let’s talk.”

GRNC in action: For a video of GRNC’s Legislative Action Team holding a constitutional carry press conference on Berger’s doorstep, CLICK HERE.

Please copy and paste the message below, signing it at the bottom. Suggested subject: “Please bring HB 189 to the floor now!“

NC House Republicans:

Please accept my thanks for the work done by Republicans in passing Senate Bill 41, “Guarantee 2nd Amend Freedom and Protections.” I confess, however, that I was taken aback when I heard Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger say the following: “We have passed a substantial bill dealing with some concerns about the Second Amendment. We have done away with the pistol purchase permit which was the number one goal of many of the gun rights groups for a long period of time. I just don’t know if there is a need for us to delve into additional issues dealing with guns.” [Emphasis added]

As GRNC president Paul Valone told Cam Edwards on Townhall Media’s highly popular “Cam & Co.”: “I guess it’s not a Bill of Rights anymore but a Bill of Needs, and the person who’s going to decide whether we ‘need’ Constitutional Carry or not is Phil Berger, self-appointed arbiter of needs.”

In passing constitutional carry, 29 states have now done what North Carolina should have done long ago. That means North Carolina Republicans are now trailing the GOP in other states which have made significant inroads in restoring constitutional freedoms too long curtailed.

Although Republicans undoubtedly want support from gun voters in November, the reality is that North Carolina now falls within a distinct minority of “red” states which have failed to restore constitutionally guaranteed freedoms to their citizens, which may suppress critical voter turnout.

Thousands of North Carolinians signed the GRNC petition for passage of HB 189 which was given to Sen. Berger last week, leading Sen. Berger to tell reporters: “Constitutional carry is something that is worth talking about. We’ll talk with our members and see whether there is an appetite to move forward with it.”

Given that gun voters helped give Republicans a supermajority, we are the “members” legislators should be talking to. I strongly urge you to use that supermajority to join the 29 other states which have now adopted some form of permitless or “constitutional” concealed carry by giving an immediate vote to HB 189.

I will be monitoring your actions through Grass Roots North Carolina legislative alerts.

Respectfully,
[Add name & address]

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