NC House committee approves two more concealed weapon bills
The North Carolina House Judiciary 2 Committee voted Tuesday afternoon to advance two bills targeting the regulation of concealed weapons, moving them along to the House Rules Committee.
House Bill 427, 'CCW Permit/No Records Provided,' pertains to the mental health of an applicant for a concealed handgun permit — the latest in a number of measures aiming to alter the regulation of guns and concealed carry. Its primary sponsors are Reps. Keith Kidwell (R-Beaufort, Dare, Hyde, Pamlico), Ben Moss (R-Moore, Richmond), Joseph Pike (R-Harnett), and Bill Ward (R-Camden, Gates, Hertford, Pasquotank).
At the moment, North Carolina law requires the disclosure of records concerning the mental health or capacity of applicants for concealed handgun permits. This bill would modify the law to ask for a 'yes' or 'no' statement indicating whether the applicant has been diagnosed by a medical professional with a mental illness.
In explaining the bill, Kidwell said the release of medical records for background checks when applying for a concealed weapon permit are meant to be used only to look at a person's mental capacity. Instead, he said, there have been situations across the state in which additional non-mental health information has been released — for example, if a person had had a vasectomy or if they've had their tonsils removed.
'What this seeks to do is to put it in a situation where only the mental health piece of it would be what's checked on to verify that somebody can legally get a concealed carry permit,' Kidwell said.
The panel also approved a technical amendment from Rep. Charles Smith (D-Cumberland) to provide additional privacy to the applicant and medical personnel.
The other piece of legislation, House Bill 439, 'Allow Concealed Carry of Knife,' does as its title suggests. Kidwell, Pike, and Ward serve as the bill's primary sponsors.
Current law allows people to carry concealed pocketknives.
Under HB 439, individuals above 18 years of age who are carrying identification and have not been convicted of a felony may carry a knife as described: a bowie knife, a dirk, a dagger, or a switchblade.
'I think most gentlemen and many women carry concealed blades, and this is just going to make it a situation where you're not going to be arrested for doing so,' Kidwell said.
He accepted an amendment from Smith to add additional language prohibiting knives in places where concealed handguns may not be carried.
'I think this bill is putting knives on the same level as firearms,' Smith said. 'My hope is to make that really consistent and just have sort of corresponding language.'
Rep. Deb Butler (D-New Hanover) said she approved of the amendment, since it attempts to create parity between a firearm and a knife.
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