Wednesday, June 26, 2013

NC: HB 937 Gun Bill Update

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Unfortunately, some House members and the Governor are not comfortable with the provision the Senate added to HB 937 that would eliminate the requirement to obtain a permit to buy a handgun.  There is also some reluctance to approve the provision the Senate added to allow gun owners to lock their guns in their cars when parked on any public school or state college campus.  So it may well be that the leadership in the House will ask us to vote not to concur with the Senate version of the bill.  I have made it clear that if such a motion is made, I will vote no.  I want us to concur with the Senate version; but I don’t think it will happen.  If a motion not to concur passes, the bill will go to conference, where these provisions will very likely be removed.  Another possibility is that the Senate version of the bill could be referred to the Rules Committee to die without us even voting on whether to concur.  I don’t think that will happen; but we just have to wait and see.
 
Personally, I believe that the requirement to have a permit to purchase a handgun is an unnecessary and unconstitutional infringement of our right to keep and bear arms.  The Second Amendment to the US Constitution, and the first paragraph of Article I, Section 30 of the NC State Constitution clearly state that this right of the people shall not be infringed; and they do not allow for any exceptions in regard to this right as it pertains to law-abiding citizens.  In addition, I do not believe most criminals bother to go through that process to obtain firearms.  So the permit system only hinders and delays honest, peaceful citizens who are seeking to purchase handguns for their own defense.  It is a system we need to eliminate, as it costs our citizens more wasted time and money, in violation of their rights, than it benefits the safety of our society.
 
I will report more later.  I hope all is well with you and yours, and that the Lord will continually bless you.

  
Representative Larry G. Pittman
North Carolina General Assembly
House of Representatives
1321 Legislative Building
16 W. Jones Street
Raleigh, NC  27601-1096

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