By now, you probably know that “Governor Jim Crow” (a/k/a Roy Cooper) vetoed House Bill 398, which is GRNC’s latest effort to repeal our Jim Crow-era pistol purchase permit law – a law some urban sheriffs still use to obstruct handgun purchases by qualified applicants.

     You probably also heard the gleeful media claims that we have no chance of overriding Cooper’s veto. Maybe there are right, maybe not. But in response to the media, I say two things: 

• First, it will be a cold day in hell before I let the media dictate our legislative agenda.
• Second, the left views the struggle for the future of America as a multi-generational effort, and so do I.

 Our considerable accomplishment 

     Veto or not, this is a victory because it is the first time we have managed to get a purchase permit repeal to the governor’s desk, and I am proud of GRNC’s Legislative Action Team and all of you who contacted legislators for getting it there. 

     I also thank Representative Jay Adams, the primary sponsor of the bill; Senator Chuck Edwards, HB 398’s vocal and effective advocate in the Senate; and Republican leadership in both chambers for moving the bill. 

Cooper’s “chutzpah” 

     Most ironic was Cooper’s claim, in vetoing the bill, that “At a time of rising gun violence, we cannot afford to repeal a system that works to save lives. The legislature should focus on combating gun violence instead of making it easier for guns to end up in the wrong hands.”

     Ignoring that the permit law probably costs lives rather than saving them, Cooper’s claim takes nerve when you consider that the “rising gun violence” Cooper cites was created by policies of his own Democrat Party. 

Who’s really racist here?

     But by far the greatest hypocrisy comes from Democrats who use cries of “racism” to gag YOU while refusing to recognize the racist roots of the gun control law we are working to repeal. 

     As revealed in statements by rabidly anti-Second Amendment Sen. Natasha Marcus (D-Mecklenburg), Democrats know perfectly well it is a Jim Crow law. 

     When they claim “it isn’t racist today,” they avoid mentioning the recent North Carolina Law Review article noting that black applicants are denied permits three times more frequently than whites, even today. 

     What that tells me is that Cooper and his party, who routinely claim “racism” to silence opponents, really don’t give a damn about the minorities they purport to represent. 

Democrats also don’t give a damn about your safety... 

     The fact that urban sheriffs are using the permit system to obstruct handgun purchases by people seeking to protect their families against “woke” mobs and killers emboldened by “defund police” proposals doesn’t bother Democrats in the slightest. 

In fact, Sen. Jay Chaudhuri (D-Wake), called the fact that GRNC has had to file three lawsuits against sheriffs “acceptable.” 

An ugly rumor... 

     I’ve heard conjecture that “This is all about posturing. Republicans failed to repeal purchase permits when they had a supermajority.” 

     Close, but not exactly. Republicans passed a purchase permit repeal as part of omnibus pro-gun House Bill 937 in 2013, but it got stripped from the bill when then-Gov. Pat McCrory threatened to veto the entire bill if it contained the permit repeal. So if you want to blame anybody, blame McCrory, not Republicans. (And remember it now that McCrory is seeking the Republican nomination for Sen. Richard Burr’s seat.) 

GRNC’s two-pronged action plan 

• Override Cooper’s veto: In coming days, we will have alerts pressuring Democrats in marginal districts to vote to override the veto. Please respond to them. Meanwhile, we need Cooper’s new nickname to stick, so whenever you refer to him, please call him “Governor Jim Crow” in order to begin setting an example to other Democrats. 

• Elect a veto-proof majority: The longer term plan in this long-term effort will be to increase the pro-gun majority in the legislature using our political action committee, the GRNC Political Victory Fund. 

Mid-term elections looming... 

     As you may recall, IRS regulations limit us in using membership money to impact elections, requiring us to raise money separately for GRNC-PVF. 

     My goal is to neuter “Gov. Jim Crow” and his gun control agenda. 

     But that means I need your help. Realizing you may have already generously donated to Grass Roots North Carolina, I still need you to contribute to GRNC-PVF by going to:

www.grnc.org/grnc-pvf/donate-to-grnc-pvf 

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