• CALL & EMAIL THE 3 HOUSE DEMOCRATS: No later than Tuesday, politely contact Lucas, Willingham and Wray, thank them for their vote for SB 41, and tell them that the safety of church-goers currently denied the ability to protect themselves depends on their vote to over-ride Cooper’s reckless veto.
  
• Marvin Lucas: Main Phone: 910-497-2733
  Email: Marvin.Lucas@ncleg.gov
• Shelly Willingham: Main Phone:   252-442-8659
  Email:  Shelly.Willingham@ncleg.gov
• Michael Wray: Main Phone: 252-535-3297
  
  Email:  Michael.Wray@ncleg.gov

PLEASE CONTRIBUTE TO GRNC: Help us fight gun control while we promote Second Amendment principles. Please CLICK HERE to contribute. Bear in mind that GRNC is an all-volunteer organization, so you can be sure your donations are put to the best possible use. Any amount helps, and any amount is appreciated.

Suggested Subject: "All churches deserve the same protection"

 Representatives Lucas, Willingham and Wray:  

Part I of the bill (“Protect Religious Meeting Places”) merely offers churches which sponsor schools the same protection other churches have enjoyed since 1995. As a reasonable and measured response to increasing attacks on religious institutions, the bill does not apply to religious functions held in public schools, to institutions of higher learning, or at any time curricular or extracurricular school functions are held. If Cooper’s veto is allowed to stand and an attack occurs at a North Carolina church, those responsible will be held to account.

The bill’s opponents claim that under Part II (“Repeal Pistol Purchase Permits”), lack of purchase permits for private transfers will mean fewer background checks. In truth, criminals and even lawful citizens rarely use the archaic permits. Few people even know they are legally required.

Moreover, repealing the Jim Crow-era law will ensure that background checks for dealer sales will be done at the time and point of sale instead of up to five years prior. Purchase permits are valid for five years, during which permit holders can commit disqualifying crimes but still use their permits to bypass the computerized National Instant Background Check System.

A 2014 North Carolina Sheriffs Association report entitled “Pistol Purchase Permit Revocations: A Report to the General Assembly” found “165 or 23.5% of permits being subject to revocation in Camden County and 35,488 or 38% of permits being subject to revocation in Mecklenburg County. Several sheriffs’ offices had over 40% of their permits reported subject to revocation in the NICS report.” But the report also found that “conducting periodic background checks on all active permits manually (researching each name on a weekly or monthly basis) is a nearly impossible task for all sheriffs’ offices.”

Respectfully,