N.C. bill easing concealed carry would endanger police

North Carolina has a long and proud history of responsible gun ownership. People respect the Second Amendment and also recognize that public safety must remain a top priority. As a police chief serving the city of Jacksonville and as president of the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police, I am committed to do everything I can to respect citizens’ rights and keep North Carolinians safe.

Police officers are our state’s last line of defense against the carrying of concealed weapons by people with a history of violence, dangerous mental illness, known domestic abusers, people charged with violent crimes still awaiting adjudication and others who pose a danger to the public. Requiring gun owners to pass a background check – one that screens for felony or domestic violence convictions, drug and alcohol convictions and mental incompetence – is a reasonable step before allowing a person to carry concealed weapons into a wide variety of public places. Currently, lawmakers are considering legislation that would change these steps.

House Bill 746 would upend our state’s long-standing commitment to responsible gun ownership and possession. If passed, HB 746 would remove North Carolina’s concealed handgun permitting system, allowing people as young as 18 to carry hidden loaded handguns in public without obtaining a concealed-carry permit or undergoing training in gun safety, the law of concealed carry or the use of deadly force. The bill would also remove the permitting system’s background-check requirement, which helps prevent violent criminals and stalkers from carrying concealed handguns in public places.

The permit system is one of the few and immediate ways we can determine whether someone is a convicted violent criminal prohibited from carrying a concealed handgun in public. H.B. 746 would have serious implications for the thousands of law enforcement officials who work tirelessly to keep our neighborhoods safe. The current concealed-carry permit law has been on the books for a number of years and has served us well.

The additional concealed-carry permitting background check provides another layer of safety, especially for our officers. Currently, an officer who encounters a person with a concealed handgun permit knows that the person is qualified and trained and unlikely to take actions that would jeopardize their permit.

A permit process gives law enforcement officers a clear line between people who are trained and qualified to carry a concealed firearm and those who are not. Removing the permit requirement solves a problem that doesn’t exist.

In the trade-off between unregulated access to concealed lethal weapons and public safety, public safety needs to be our priority. My years as a police officer have taught me that the owning and carrying of guns is a great responsibility. I believe if you are going to carry concealed you should have some training, whether it’s police training, military training or some training course. Training is needed on how to handle a gun, when to handle a gun, when to draw it, when not to pull it and the legal complications that you need to know about carrying and drawing the weapon.

For citizens to defend themselves realistically, they must have a high skill level. To attain that level requires extensive training in the classroom, on the firing range and some scenarios-based training. We cannot expect to put a live weapon in the hands of people who are unfamiliar with it and expect them to be both competent and safe.

Guns in dangerous hands can be deadly. This bill would increase the likelihood of individuals having firearms that shouldn’t have them in the first place. It is our view that the disastrous consequences of having more guns in the hands of people who may be mentally or emotionally unfit to have concealed weapons outweighs the convenience of everyone else who wants to have a concealed gun without having to pay a small permit fee, undergo a background check and receive some training.

North Carolina is our home and our goal is to make it as safe as possible. As it is written now, H.B. 746 will make that goal more difficult. The current permit system is a balance of public safety needs and allowing concealed carry for the responsible people who hold concealed permits. The North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police is concerned with public safety and the safety of officers. The right thing is to protect the public and to protect our officers.

This story was originally published June 24, 2017 at 6:00 PM with the headline "N.C. bill easing concealed carry would endanger police."