Posted on 04/08/2013 10:04:32 AM PDT by marktwain
Brown-eyed people are more likely than blue-eyed people to pack a gun in North Carolina.
Much about the nearly 400,000 concealed pistol permit holders here – including their names, addresses, weights and, yes, even eye colors – is a matter of public record. But state lawmakers are trying to change that.
A bill crawling through the N.C. General Assembly aims to make that information confidential, open only to law enforcement. It is one of more than a dozen measures introduced this year as lawmakers bow to long-held demands among gun rights activists.
As mass shootings fuel debate about the proper role of firearms in American society, Colorado, Connecticut, New York and a slew of other states have passed or considered anew restrictions on guns and related hardware. But North Carolina seems headed in the opposite direction, a reflection of how the Republican Party's recent electoral gains have shifted the state's political calculus.
"Legislators understand that gun owners were a large reason that conservatives made huge gains in all areas of government in North Carolina," said Paul Valone, president of the gun rights group Grass Roots North Carolina. "The gun vote came out big in 2012. And frankly, we want what we came for."
Gun-friendly proposals floated recently include allowing permit holders to bring guns into restaurants, limiting how much information sheriffs may request during the concealed carry application process, and letting school employees arm themselves at work.
(Excerpt) Read more at starnewsonline.com ...
These groups are a major reason that the NRA has turned from a wimpy "lose slowly" bunch of Washington insiders into a the real advocacy group that we see telling us to "Stand and Fight" today.
I love my state!
It takes a gun to stop a gun.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.