Question: “I’ve heard North Carolina allows concealed carry for concealed handgun permit-holders in state and national parks, but that certain gamelands are exempted. Where can I legally carry a concealed handgun?”
Answer: You are correct. Concealed handgun permit-holders may carry in national parks pursuant to federal legislation passed in enacted in 2010. Pursuant to House Bill 650 (S.L. 2011-268), state parks and certain gamelands were added. However, privately owned gamelands controlled by the state as well as certain other privately owned areas, such as fishing and boating access areas and wildlife conservation areas, may still prohibit firearms.
QUESTION: Why can’t GRNC help defend me in court?
ANSWER: GRNC is dedicated to electing legislators who will defend your gun rights, and passing legislation for the same. In local battles, we pressure city councils and county commissions to respect the gun rights of residents. On occasion, we use political pressure to target elected officials who, through malfeasance, have denied due process to individuals. But understand something: Everyone at GRNC is a volunteer with a “day job.” Accordingly, and as a member-funded organization with resources far more limited than multi-million dollar national organizations, we don’t have the time or money to become involved in court battles. Indeed, nothing in our organizational literature implies otherwise. To help members in such circumstances, we created a “Gun-Friendly Lawyer” network of pro-gun attorneys who, while not working for free, will at least be sympathetic to you on the issue.
If GRNC were to pick up your case, we would have to do exactly what we advise you to do: Hire a lawyer. Given that we field many such worthy requests per week, if we did so the organization would quickly go bankrupt, denying gun owners the highly successful representation in Congress and the General Assembly which they have come to expect.
QUESTION: I was told you are now able to carry outside the house in a state of emergency.
ANSWER: You are correct. As part of HB 843 in 2012 (Session Law 2012-12), NCGS 14-288.7 (which prohibited transportation of firearms and other “dangerous substances” during declared states of emergency) was repealed, after having been first declared an unconstitutional infringement on the Second Amendment in a lawsuit to which GRNC was a participant, Bateman v. Perdue.