Posted on 04/04/2011 5:15:21 AM PDT by marktwain
Self-defense will be on the menu at restaurants statewide if a Gaston County lawmaker has his way.
State Rep. Kelly Hastings is sponsoring a bill to allow North Carolina residents with concealed handgun permits to carry guns in restaurants and public parks. He said House Bill 111 gives people a way to protect themselves from the threat of violent crime in two areas where hidden handguns have long been off-limits.
“Criminals don’t care what the law is — they’ll carry their weapons wherever they want to carry them,” Hastings said. “This is just a small way to level the playing field so that we can defend ourselves against the criminal element.”
Under HB 111, carrying a concealed handgun with a valid permit would be allowed in a restaurant unless management posts a notice banning guns on the property in accordance with state law.
The bill would also prevent state, county and city governments from prohibiting concealed handguns in public parks, though guns can still be banned from playgrounds, ball fields and athletic facilities.
“The people who have concealed carry permits are some of the most responsible citizens in America,” Hastings said. “Any time we’re dealing with one of the civil liberties provided in the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution, we have to err on the side of the civil liberties of the law-abiding U.S. citizen.”
Gaston County added 1,030 residents to its concealed carry permit numbers in 2010 alone.
Cleveland County has a total of 2,476 residents with valid concealed carry permits, and 632 of those permits were issued in the last year, according to Sheriff Alan Norman. Those permit-holders are typically responsible citizens who aren’t likely to be involved in crime, Norman said.
“I don’t forsee any problems and I don’t see any reason for alarm,” Norman said. “If the General Assembly does pass the law, we will definitely enforce it. It’s not the firearm that’s the culprit, it’s the individual behind the firearm who pulls the trigger.”
To receive a concealed handgun permit, residents must be U.S. citizens and are required to pass a criminal background check and answer questions about mental health and drug use, including prescription medication. They are also required to take a concealed carry safety class.
New applicants pay a $90 fee for the permit, which must be renewed every five years at a reduced rate of $75. Counties receive $45 for each new permit and $30 for each renewal, Norman said.
Hastings, who lives in Cherryville and represents parts of Cleveland and Gaston counties, is taking a concealed carry class with other lawmakers and aides at the General Assembly building in Raleigh. He plans to apply for his own concealed handgun permit so he’ll have the option of carrying a gun for self-defense.
“As long as I’m a law-abiding citizen, I should have that option, and so should other law-abiding citizens,” he said.
The state House passed HB 111 by a 74-42 vote on Wednesday. The bill is now on its way to the Senate.
Since the private property owner of the restraunt still has the discretion to ban all guns from his property I have no problem with this bill. Respect for property rights demands no less.
Could firearms be coming to a restaurant near you?(NC)..
Only if they are hungry and an SUV drives them there./s
“Welcome to the Main Street Bar and Grille. Would you like the smoking gun or non-smoking gun section?”
Right now you can carry in a restaurant that does not serve alcohol.
McDonalds, Burger King, Cracker Barrel, etc.
The sticking point is restaurants that serve alcohol.
Red Lobster, Olive Garden, TGIF, etc.
If you are carrying you can’t drink alcohol, none, not one drink.
So what’s the problem.?
I can see prohibiting carry in a bar but restaurants that serve?
LOL!
Some of the comments are precious. Liberals always scream that vigilantes will run amok. Yet in many States concealed carry has been legal for decades and you could count such incidents on one hand. How many people have been murdered in these public places in the same time frame?
There it is again -- a law that "ALLOWS" me to exercise my God-given right to self defense. So I guess I'm supposed to be grateful to those lawmakers who are going to "ALLOW" me to do this -- maybe lick their boots and call them massa????
Is this just for that one county?
IIRC, as long as the establishment doesn’t serve alcohol, you can carry in a restaurant now in NC.
Therefore, the headline is wrong, firearms are already being carried in some restaurants.
It also should readily disprove any worries about potential gunfights, etc. breaking out – if they have not already under the existing law…
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