Gun Rights Supporters:
A phony gun group is apparently trying to bilk North Carolinians yet again. An entity calling itself the “North Carolina Firearms Coalition” is sending fundraising email exclaiming, “NCFC's Second Amendment Preservation Act!” and telling gun rights supporters to help pass “their” bill.
The first problem is that it isn’t “their” bill. At issue is House Bill 189, “Second Amendment Preservation Act,” sponsored by gun rights stalwart Rep. Keith Kidwell (Beaufort, Craven), together with Reps. Bobby Hanig (Currituck, Dare, Hyde, Pamlico), Ed Goodwin (Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Perquimans, Tyrrell, Washington) and Jay Adams (Catawba).
In truth, Rep. Kidwell drafted the bill after GRNC requested it from the NC House Second Amendment working group as part of our legislative agenda. The phony gun group in question has reportedly had absolutely no interaction with Kidwell, meaning they are taking credit for other people’s work.
Worse, they are raising money on a dead bill. The “crossover deadline,” by which a bill must pass at least one chamber to remain alive, was back in May. Although it might theoretically be possible to resurrect it by stripping a different bill, the fact that the primary sponsor has no knowledge of “NCFC” indicates they have neither the ability nor intent to do so.
This supposed group was created by Patrick Parsons of Georgia (not North Carolina), where his “Georgia Gun Owners” also reportedly developed an unsavory reputation for predatory fundraising, including having as its place of business a UPS Store (as, by the way, is the address claimed by “NCFC”).
Parsons originally hailed from a national organization, the “National Association for Gun Rights” (NAGR), which itself developed a reputation for being far more interested in money than gun rights. In fact, NAGR became so notorious that there is even a Facebook page entitled, “The Truth About the National Association for Gun Rights.”
As gun rights supporters gradually discovered the truth about NAGR, the resulting flight of donors reportedly caused it to downsize, with laid off employees trained in NAGR’s predatory fundraising returning to their states to bilk gun owners in an exercise reminiscent of when Jimmy Carter decimated the CIA, forcing spooks to earn a living by fomenting revolution in South America.
Whether Parsons is still associated with the two entities he created is unknown, since the slick (and virtually identical) websites he created don’t list staff and the dead-end phone number listed for NCFC “has a voicemail box that has not been set up.”
Thank for your help support in making Grass Roots North Carolina the most active and effective gun rights organization in the state. GRNC was central to passing concealed carry, concealed handgun reciprocity, Castle Doctrine/Stand Your Ground, the purchase permit bypass, the expansion of concealed carry into parks, restaurants, educational property, and much more.
Beyond legislation, GRNC broke the trend toward posting against concealed carry with its “Don’t Buy List,” and has sued a sitting governor, a sitting agriculture commissioner, the City of Winston-Salem, and Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker (twice), with a win rate of four for five. (We will announce another lawsuit for gun rights very soon).
We couldn’t have done it without you. With your continued help, GRNC will continue kicking tail..
Armatissimi e liberissimi,
F. Paul Valone
President, Grass Roots North Carolina
Executive Director, Rights Watch International
Radio host, Guns, Politics and Freedom
