Gun Rights Supporters:

GRNC volunteers struck a blow for the Second Amendment on Wednesday by delivering nearly 7,000 petitions demanding passage of constitutional carry via the currently stalled House Bill 189, “Freedom to Carry NC.” The bill is sponsored by stalwart pro-gun Rep. Keith Kidwell.

The target of our “affection” was Senator Phil Berger, President Pro Tem of the NC Senate and arguably the most powerful man in North Carolina. Regardless of what some politicians claim, no legislation moves in the legislature unless Phil Berger says so.

Taking your message to Phil Berger’s doorstep

Dozens of GRNC volunteers delivered 7,000 petitions to Senate leader Phil Berger because HB 189 stalled after Berger said:

“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]

GRNC president Paul Valone replied to Berger in an interview with Cam Edwards, of Townhall Media’s “Cam & Co.” by saying:

“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.”

Sen. Berger is correct in claiming credit for repealing our Jim Crow-era pistol purchase permit law. For that, we thank both Berger and all NCGA Republicans.

But the purchase permit repeal was only a start. Over generations, the fundamental civil liberty of carrying arms for self-defense without governmental permission has been stripped from us. This year, GRNC intends to win back that civil right!

We’ve heard excuses about Republicans in marginal districts; we’ve heard excuses that legislative rules prevent debating HB 189; we’ve heard House members claim the problem is the Senate, and Senate members claim the problem is in the House.

Let me tell you the same thing I told WRAL-TV, the N&O, and other news outlets at the press conference we held on Phil Berger’s doorstep:

I. Don’t. Care. We will accept no excuses.

Gun voters were in large measure responsible for giving Republicans a veto-proof supermajority. So, in the vernacular, “It’s time to dance with the one what ‘brung ya.”

Is Sen. Berger listening?

Sen. Berger, of course, declined to personally accept the demands of his constituents, instead delegating to a legislative assistant. But you may rest assured that the message got through loud and clear, particularly when you consider that later the same day, Berger answered media queries on the topic by saying:

“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.”

If you are indeed listening, Senator Berger, I thank you. You say you want to talk it over with your “members?” We are the “members” who gave Republicans a supermajority.

So, Phil, let’s talk.

Legislative threats on the horizon

The day after GRNC’s press conference, Michael Bloomberg’s astroturf front, “Moms Demand Marxism” and their minions, Sen. Jay Chadhuri, and Reps. Marcia Morey and Julie Von Haefen, held their own presser, featuring anti-gun Sheriff Garry McFadden as their headliner.

They recounted the usual lies, of course, with one Marxist Mom even claiming 28 mass murders in North Carolina this year. (It was pretty funny to watch her squirm when a reporter asked for her source which, as expected, she was unable to provide.)

Speaking of chutzpah, how about this one? “We’re not against gun ownership,” said Sheriff McFadden, whom Grass Roots North Carolina is suing a second time for obstructing concealed handgun permits. (Something which, happily, bothers him so much that he mentioned it several times during the presser.)

In the blind irony so common among leftists, Moms Demand Marxism denounced permitless concealed carry while headlining the sheriff whose obstruction of concealed carry permits makes him a poster child for the law they oppose.

You just can’t make this stuff up.

But don’t laugh too hard. Anti-gun Rep. Marcia Morey said she plans to push a “discharge petition,” a parliamentary maneuver to force red flag gun confiscation out of committee and onto the floor for a vote. Needless to say, GRNC will vociferously oppose all such anti-gun efforts.

With your help…

In coming weeks, GRNC’s many volunteers will be full throttle…

• …not just pushing constitutional carry;
• …not just suing McFadden to ensure permit issuance is timely;
• …not just defeating Marcia Morey’s gun bans, but also…
• Organizing for the critical 2024 elections.

To continue delivering our 30-year history of legislative success, we need your help!

What you can do to ensure gun rights success:

• Subscribe to and monitor GRNC alerts: In coming days, we will be channeling your input to the politicians who need to hear it. To subscribe, click here.
• Volunteer: If you have the skills or motivation to do so, we need more volunteers. To volunteer, click here.
• CONTRIBUTE: Your membership dues, while much appreciated, are not enough to enable GRNC to continue kicking legislative tail. Unpleasant though it may be, I have to ask you to go to: grnc.org/join-grnc/contribute

As always, all-volunteer Grass Roots North Carolina vows to put your money to more efficient, effective use in defending your rights than any other group.

Armatissimi e liberissimi,

F. Paul Valone
President, Grass Roots North Carolina
Executive Director, Rights Watch International
Host, Guns, Politics and Freedom

Author, Rules for ANTI-Radicals: A Practical Handbook for Defeating Leftism

P.S. Yes, it’s an election year, and there will be all sorts of politicians looking for your money. But $250, $100, $50 or even $25 to GRNC is an investment in your rights.