North Carolina state legislators overrode the veto of Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) this week regarding the ability to purchase handguns in the latest victory for advocates of the Second Amendment.
The governor had vetoed a bill that would end the need for a permit to purchase a pistol. Both houses of the North Carolina legislature voted to override Cooper’s veto, which now makes North Carolina the next state to allow permitless purchases of handguns.
The effort follows successful changes in other states to allow for both the permitless ability to purchase and concealed carry, often what gun rights advocates call ‘constitutional carry.’
🇺🇸The NRA is grateful for the principled Senate & House leaders and lawmakers who righteously championed Second Amendment rights and overrode Gov. Cooper's veto in the Tar Heel State.
As always, a BIG thank you to NRA members and the North Carolina Rifle and Pistol Association… pic.twitter.com/X3rAKP9VWJ
— NRA (@NRA) March 29, 2023
The effort marked the first time in five years that Cooper’s veto has been overturned. The effort was passed by a 30-19 vote in the state Senate. The same measure passed 71-46 in the state General Assembly.
The original bill was supported by all Republicans and three Democrats in the Assembly. Cooper had earlier blocked efforts to overturn the need for such permits.
The governor also criticized Republicans in the state legislature for calling for the repeal the same week as the deadly shooting at an elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee.
The attack by a transgender suspect killed three adults and three children. Cooper said that Republicans would “make it easier for dangerous people to buy guns and take them on some school grounds.”
The repeal was supported by the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association. The override of the governor’s veto will add North Carolina to more than two dozen states that allow for the permitless purchase of pistols.
Following the override, the purchase of such firearms still must comply with applicable federal law. In order to carry the firearm, the state will still require a permit to concealed carry.
The effort also comes as Florida is on the verge of passing a law to allow for constitutional carry.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has previously stated that he would sign the bill, which was passed by the Florida state Senate by a wide margin Thursday. The bill allows adults over the age of 21 to purchase a handgun if they have not been convicted of a felony or controlled substance violation over the previous three years.
