RALEIGH — North Carolina’s largest firearms advocacy group is sounding the alarm on changes to concealed carry training being proposed by NC Attorney General Josh Stein’s Department of Justice.
“Borrowing from the playbook of the Biden administration, which is using the BATFE to circumnavigate Congress and harass gun dealers and owners with abusive rule changes, Attorney General Josh Stein is using the NCDOJ to make it harder for lawful North Carolinians to obtain concealed handgun permits,” Grass Roots North Carolina (GRNC) President Paul Valone told North State Journal.
“Stein’s scheme would not only make it more difficult to obtain required training but would likely violate our First Amendment freedom of association by keeping lists of anyone who takes a concealed carry class, even if they never apply for a permit,” said Valone. “Grass Roots North Carolina will oppose Stein’s obstructionism by all available means, up to and including legislative review.”
A press release by GRNC cites a June 23 memo received by N.C. concealed handgun permit (CHP) instructors announcing changes that GRNC says “will make it harder for CHP applicants to receive required training.”
GRNC alleges the notice stated the changes were “already drawn up without public comment as required by N.C.G.S. 150B-21.2.”
According to a public notice on the NC DOJ’s Criminal Justice Education & Training Standards website, there are proposed amendments to “SUBCHAPTER 09F-SECTION .0100 of the NC Administrative Code” governing concealed carry training.
Under the public notice are three forms, a “pre-delivery report“ of concealed carry training, a “post-delivery report” of the training and a “concealed carry handgun student roster“ form.
Under the administrative code for CHP training, instructors are already required to file a copy of the proposed firearms “course description, outline, and proof of instructor certification,” making the NCDOJ’s proposed forms seem duplicative.
Per GRNC, the pre-delivery report would “suppress concealed carry handgun permits” by requiring instructors to submit the document 30 days prior to a class and also place an undue burden on instructors, especially for those “who do not conduct training as their full-time occupation.”
Additionally, GRNC says the changes invade the privacy of those seeking training because instructors will have to keep an “auditable roster” of students which the state will be able to keep on record, in essence creating a gun registry to track those individuals.
A public meeting on the proposed amendments will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 9, at the Wake Technical Community College Public Safety Training Center located at 321 Chapanoke Rd. in Raleigh.
