Grass Roots North Carolina / Forum For Firearms Education
Post Office Box 10665, Raleigh, NC 27605
877.282.0939 (Phone) 919.573.0354 (Fax) www.GRNC.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Contact:   704.907.9206

E-mail:    FPV@FPaulValone.com

Release date: February 4, 2024

Press release link: https://www.grnc.org/defend-your-rights/press-releases

Gun voters present petition to Republican leadership demanding they move ‘constitutional carry’

Despite passing two committees in the NC House last year, House Bill 189, “Freedom to Carry NC,” continues to languish in the House Rules Committee after being pulled from the calendar for its floor vote at the last minute, reportedly due to Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, who is reported to have 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.” 

In an interview with Townhall Media’s “Cam & Co.,” Grass Roots North Carolina president Paul Valone recently responded: 

“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.” 

Republicans expect gun voter help in November:

Will they get it? 

Twenty-nine states have now passed constitutional carry, meaning that NC Republicans have fallen far behind their GOP brethren in other states. GOP candidates will undoubtedly seek support from Second Amendment voters in November. That is not necessarily assured, however, if Republicans forget, as the saying goes, “who ‘brung ‘em to the dance.” 

GRNC volunteers present petition to Berger 

At a time which will be revealed to any member of the media who responds to this press release, GRNC volunteers will deliver many thousands of petitions, by hand truck, to Sen. Berger’s office.

Open letter sent to Sen. Berger

Dear Senator Berger:

Please accept my thanks for the work done by you and Senate Republicans in passing Senate Bill 41, “Guarantee 2nd Amend Freedom and Protections.” I confess, however, that I was taken aback when I heard you 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] 

Your perception of “need” aside, I’m sure you agree that restoration of constitutionally-guaranteed freedoms should not be rationed. Over the decades, Americans’ rights – including the right to carry firearms for self-protection – have been steadily eroded. It was certainly not the Framers’ intention that a governmental permission slip be required to carry firearms, concealed or otherwise. House Bill 189, “Freedom to Carry NC,” is intended to restore the Framers’ ideals. 

As I 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, twenty-nine 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. 

As you will see in coming days, thousands of North Carolinians have already signed GRNC’s petition for passage of HB 189. I strongly urge you to use the opportunity, created by a supermajority which gun voters helped you secure, to join the twenty-nine other states which have now adopted some form of permitless or “constitutional” concealed carry by giving an immediate vote to HB 189. 

Founded in 1994, Grass Roots North Carolina is an all-volunteer 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to preserving individual liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights with emphasis on the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

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Grass Roots North Carolina / Forum For Firearms Education
Post Office Box 10665, Raleigh, NC 27605
877.282.0939 (Phone) 919.573.0354 (Fax) www.GRNC.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

E-mail:    president@GRNC.org

Release date: February 4, 2024

 Solving the 'red book' problem

Recent news stories have been circulating, possibly at the behest of Harvey Morse, who heads what he calls the NC Concealed Carry Instructors Association, which incorrectly claims to be the voice for concealed carry instructors but, in fact, has been hyping a non-issue.

Specifically, Morse & Co. are griping about the Concealed Carry Handgun Training “red book,” which is mandated by the NC Criminal Justice Standards Division for concealed carry students. Morse complains that the cost of the book is too high and that it should be provided in a free pdf format.

What Morse apparently seems to ignore is the fact that the staff for the concealed handgun system is self-funded using proceeds from the book. At present, if there are no book sales, there can be no concealed carry permit.

Rather than grousing about the cost of red books, the correct solution is to seek legislative redress from the General Assembly by allocating funding for the program. GRNC is addressing in two ways: First, we are pushing for House Bill 189, a permitless concealed carry bill which will remove the need for concealed handgun permits while keeping the permit system in place for reciprocity with other states and as a statutory substitute for the computerized National Instant Background Check System (NICS).

Second, in the next session of the General Assembly, GRNC will pursue legislation to independently fund the program, removing the need for funding through the red book and allowing transition to a free pdf format. Moreover, as Morse should be aware, GRNC addressed this concept in comments to the NC Criminal Justice Education & Training Standards Commission (NCCJETSC) in earlier hearings. NCCJETSC supports the idea of legislative funding, suggesting it should be a relative “Slam Dunk” in the legislature.

Founded in 1994, Grass Roots North Carolina is an all-volunteer 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to preserving individual liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights with emphasis on the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

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Grass Roots North Carolina / Forum For Firearms Education
Post Office Box 10665, Raleigh, NC 27605
877.282.0939 (Phone) 919.573.0354 (Fax) www.GRNC.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

E-mail:    president@GRNC.org

Release date: MARCH 6, 2024

In recent days, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden has announced that his department will no longer submit mental health record requests to the Veterans’ Administration (VA), which he had previously been sending for all applicants, whether or not the applicant had served in the military.

After being successfully sued by Grass Roots North Carolina and Gun Owners of America for obstructing concealed handgun permits by requiring applicants to schedule appointments many months in advance, McFadden shifted his tactics to obstruct permits by overwhelming the Veterans’ Administration with record requests for people who never served in the military.

Consequently, GRNC and GOA filed yet another lawsuit in U.S. District Court. In apparent response to the litigation, McFadden has now rescinded his previous policy of submitting all applicants to the VA, giving lie to his earlier claim that such requests were necessary to ensure safety. It should be noted that in the past, McFadden apparently also dispensed with the VA requests for citizens named as plaintiffs in the suit, again conflicting with his claim that VA submissions were necessary for safety. 

To reiterate, by submitting requests to the VA only for veterans, McFadden is bringing his practices into line with the 99 other North Carolina sheriffs.

In what can only be described as a temper tantrum, however, McFadden’s office is now refusing to continue allowing applicants to apply online from home, inconveniencing the applicants by requiring them to drive to downtown Charlotte to apply for concealed handgun permits, a requirement also at odds with the practices of other sheriffs.

Said GRNC president Paul Valone: 

“The game of “Wack-A-Mole continues, as Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden, denied yet another way to obstruct concealed handgun permits, shifts to new ways of inconveniencing applicants. In apparent response to lawsuits by GRNC and GOA, McFadden will now discontinue the practice he insisted was necessary for safety: namely, overwhelming the Veterans’ Administration with mental health record requests for people who never served in the military. So in what can only be described as a temper tantrum, Sheriff McFadden will now require applicants to drive to downtown Charlotte to apply for permits in person, rather than applying online from home as they previously could. GRNC demands that McFadden cease his obstructionism in all forms. He should also reimburse citizens for thousands in legal fees spent getting this lawless sheriff to comply with the law.”

Founded in 1994, Grass Roots North Carolina is an all-volunteer 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to preserving individual liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights with emphasis on the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

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Grass Roots North Carolina / Forum For Firearms Education
Post Office Box 10665, Raleigh, NC 27605
877.282.0939 (Phone) 919.573.0354 (Fax) www.GRNC.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Contact:      704.907.9206

E-mail:    president@GRNC.org

Release date: November 14, 2023

Josh Stein’s NCDOJ still meddling with 

concealed handgun training standards

The North Carolina Criminal Justice Education & Training Standards Commission and related NC Training Standards Division will hold another meeting tomorrow, November 15, to debate potential changes to training standards for NC concealed handgun permits.

The commission’s last meeting, in July, generated overwhelming opposition to its proposed “Pre-Delivery” and “Post-Delivery Reports,” which would have impeded training required for concealed handgun permits. The rationale for the proposal lay in claims that some instructors were short-cutting the required training for permits – something the commission never clearly proved.

Chair Leslie Desmukes claims the commission has backed off the proposal for reports and maintaining a roster of students, but no proposed language has been released to instructors. Worse, the commission seems to be making it difficult for the public to attend the second hearing, which is split between two locations – including one for which the commission initially gave out the wrong address.

Meeting details: The first half of the meeting (in which NCDOJ claims concealed handgun standards will NOT be discussed) will be held at 10:00 AM at the Wake Technical Community College, Public Safety Training Center, 321 Chapanoke Rd, Raleigh.

The second half will be held after adjournment of the earlier session after giving participants time to drive to the second location, and will be held at 742 W. Garner Road, Garner, NC 27529.

GRNC Vice President Andy Stevens will be available for comment at both locations.

Founded in 1994, Grass Roots North Carolina is an all-volunteer 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to preserving individual liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights with emphasis on the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

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