OPINION: Jim Crow pistol permit remains a shameful blot on our state
BY PGF2 years, 2 months ago
Despite a new research paper by two Clemson University economists proving that black lynching decreased with greater firearm access, North Carolina still clings to its Jim Crow pistol permit. The state remains the only former Confederate state with the pistol permit law enacted here in 1919.
Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a repeal of the Jim Crow law in 2021, despite support for repealing the law by the N.C. Sheriffs’ Association. In the past, the state Sheriffs’ Associations opposed repeal, but updates to the national instant background checks make the law redundant and a hassle for residents.
Pistol permits emerged as popular legislation in the segregated South by using subjective denials by law enforcement, such as “good cause,” to keep handguns out of the hands of black state residents. To this day, blacks in North Carolina are denied access to pistols at a rate nearly three times as high as the white population.
We’re not sure why he wanders off of North Carolina to cite a Georgia case. We left that part out; you can read the whole thing at the source.
Gun purchases are way up with many non-traditional firearm owners and minorities, particularly black and Hispanic women. They, too, are entitled the same Constitutional protections as every other law-abiding citizen. More than five million people became first-time gun owners during the pandemic, and many new gun owners identify as politically liberal.
Woke district attorneys and city governments are proving to many that the government is not equipped to protect the populace but may not even have a desire to protect residents. Naturally, rising crime is creating a greater demand for armed protection in the absence of the rule of law in many urban areas.
Not every North Carolinian has a desire to train to receive their concealed carry license. Some want a constitutional carry system – which is now law of the land in half of U.S. states. Given universal federal background checks, the pistol permit system is not fair or just for those who want to purchase a handgun as a collectible, self-defense, or target shooting.
Other Southern states clearly cited racism as a reason to repeal this law, so North Carolina no longer has a valid excuse to cling to Jim Crow’s past. Most importantly, governments should do a better job of treating all free citizens as free, while punishing violent criminals and all those who misuse firearms harshly.
Constitutional Carry in North Carolina is overdue.
On October 3, 2022 at 11:58 am, Bob in NC said:
“Not every North Carolinian has a desire to train to receive their concealed carry license”
I assume by “train” the author means the range portion of the CCP class… if so, this is an accident waiting to happen, IMO.