Latest news with #SenateBill50
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Morgantown considering joining the county primary ballot in 2030
May 23—MORGANTOWN — The city of Morgantown is plotting its course toward compliance with the newly implemented state law regarding municipal elections. Senate Bill 50 — passed during the most recent legislative session and signed into law by Gov. Patrick Morrisey — requires municipalities to align their respective elections with either the statewide primary or general elections held in May or November of even-numbered years, respectively. The state is requiring all municipalities to be in compliance by the end of 2030. While it's difficult to know exactly how many municipalities are already on a state election schedule, there are at least 104 that aren't. According to Secretary of State Kris Warner's office, that's how many municipalities are scheduled to hold elections in 2025. Morgantown and Granville are among that number. Morgantown held an election April 29. Granville will hold its final standalone election June 10. Granville residents voted 270-47 in favor of moving in line with the county's primary as part of a ballot measure in November. The winners of Granville's June election — every race is unopposed — will serve a one-year term. The seats will be back up for election with the traditional two-year term as part of the county-run primary ballot in May 2026. As Morgantown City Council members serve staggered, four-year terms, the transition requires a little more runway to launch. As part of its upcoming committee of the whole agenda, the body is expected to get a first public look at a plan to make that switch, which will require an amendment to the city's charter. According to the proposed charter change, the April 2027 city election for council's 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th wards would be for three-year terms. Likewise, the April 2029 election for the 2nd, 4th and 6th wards would be for three-year terms. Under this plan, all Morgantown City Council elections would be for full, four-year terms, held on the date of the statewide May primary election and administered by the Monongalia County starting in May 2030. Star City and Westover have both already moved onto the county's primary ballot.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers, faith leaders stress gun safety as permitless concealed carry bills advance
Getty Images/Luke Sharrett Gun control advocates and faith leaders held a press conference at the state Legislative Building Wednesday urging lawmakers to oppose bills that would allow carrying concealed firearms without a permit. It's one of the biggest issues this session. Legislators are considering bills that would allow 'constitutional carry,' or the idea that individuals should be able to carry concealed weapons without restrictions based on the Second Amendment. Senate Bill 50, 'Freedom to Carry NC,' allows North Carolinians who are U.S. citizens, at least 18 years of age, and not otherwise prohibited by law, to carry concealed weapons without applying for a permit. It's backed by Republican leadership and would make North Carolina the 30th state to enshrine such a policy in state law. The bill has passed the Senate and is awaiting action in the House. Its counterpart in the lower chamber, House Bill 5 or 'NC Constitutional Carry Act,' has the same idea. This measure still needs approval from the House Rules Committee. Rep. Phillip Rubin, a Democrat from Wake County, said the fact that either bill is even under consideration is a reflection of the troubled state of democracy in North Carolina. North Carolina is one of the 'most intensely' gerrymandered states in the country, he said, with Republicans earning less than 48% of the vote statewide but holding 59% of the seats in the legislature. At the congressional level, the North Carolina delegation went from an even 7-7 split to a 10-4 Republican majority following GOP-crafted redistricting. 'In a functioning democracy where elected representatives feel accountable to the people they represent, a bill this unpopular and this dangerous would never pass. It would never even come to a vote,' he said. 'That is why I'm so sad to see common sense gun regulation measures that can't get a vote, and dangerous measures like permitless concealed carry that repeatedly can.' Polls released recently by Everytown for Gun Safety and Elon University found the bulk of North Carolina voters against loosening gun regulations. Rev. Jennifer Copeland is the executive director of the North Carolina Council of Churches, which represents 19 denominations. She said owning or carrying a gun doesn't make people safe. 'All of us are less safe when everyone around us has a gun tucked into their waistband or carries it around in their purse,' she said.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
As North Carolina lawmakers debate gun restrictions, schools stress safe storage
A North Carolina Highway Patrol officer demonstrates how to attach a gunlock. (Screenshot from NC SAFE video, This story first appeared on NC Newsline. Gun regulation has been one of the most hotly contested issues at the North Carolina General Assembly this year. Lawmakers have introduced bills on a myriad of topics: constitutional carry, handguns at private schools and privacy around concealed carry permits, to name a few. Permitless concealed carry — known as constitutional carry due to the idea that individuals have the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms without infringement — has drawn the most attention. Senate Bill 50, Freedom to Carry NC, would allow individuals who are U.S. citizens, at least 18 years of age and not otherwise prohibited by law to carry concealed weapons without applying for a permit. It's backed by Republican leadership and would make North Carolina the 30th state to approve of constitutional carry. The bill has passed the Senate and awaits further approval in the House. Its counterpart in the lower chamber, House Bill 5, or NC Constitutional Carry Act, is largely the same. This measure still needs approval from the House Rules Committee. The biggest difference in the legislation is that HB 5 would authorize elected officials in the state to carry a concealed firearm 'while performing their official duties if the official has a concealed handgun permit.' While the State Capitol and Executive Mansion are excluded from this list, it would be allowed at the State Legislative Building and Legislative Office Building, where lawmakers conduct their business. States move to outlaw popular 'Glock switches' that make some guns fully automatic North Carolina residents are overwhelmingly opposed to the measures, according to newly released polls. But lawmakers have chosen to move forward. 'There is political play around this policy that is lawmakers in both chambers pandering to the far right extremists and, frankly, being more worried about their own primaries … than they are about the safety of their constituents,' said Monisha Henley, senior vice president for government affairs at Everytown from Gun Safety. 'That is why they've been trying to push it through the legislature at lightning speed.' A 2022 study from the Crime Prevention Research Center looked at changes in crime and killings of police after adopting constitutional carry. Using data from 13 states, researchers found that the drop in murder is statistically significant, but the change in violent crime is not. Paul Valone, president of the Grass Roots North Carolina gun rights group, has spent decades working on the issue. He's modeled his advocacy after legislation in Vermont, the first state that didn't have restrictions requiring permits for concealed carry. 'SB 50 and HB 5 are not perfect bills, but they're what's achievable right now,' Valone said. 'Those of us who have spent a lot of time in the movement believe that because we lost our rights over generations incrementally, we will probably have to win them back incrementally.' The movement has spread to schools. House Bill 193, Firearm Law Revisions, authorizes individuals with a valid concealed handgun permit to possess or carry a handgun on educational property owned, used, or operated by a private school. The bill's wording would allow anybody lawfully entitled to carry a concealed weapon to do so on the premises of a private school below the college level, with written permission from the school. This could be school officials, teachers, and even students. 'This bill endangers students, it endangers teachers, and people don't want it,' Rep. Deb Butler (D-New Hanover) said during a committee hearing. 'You're telling the teachers of North Carolina that we don't really care what you say.' Coming up Tuesday, members of the House Judiciary 2 committee will discuss The Firearms Liberty Act. House Bill 674 would among other changes allow for the issuance of lifetime concealed handgun permits. NC S.A.F.E. (Secure All Firearms Effectively), a statewide initiative to raise awareness on storing firearms safely, announced a partnership with the Wake County Public School System last Thursday. NC S.A.F.E for Schools is designed to help school districts across the state share resources about safe gun storage with parents in the district. Youth gun deaths in the US have surged 50% since 2019 The Wake County Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution in March of last year to 'regularly and consistently' provide families with information and resources on the importance of secure gun storage. North Carolina experienced at least 12 incidents of gunfire on school grounds in 2024, resulting in one death and nine injuries. Residents of Raleigh's Hedingham neighborhood are still reeling from an October 2022 mass shooting in which a teenager who was able to access his father's firearms killed five people and wounded two others. The teen charged in that shooting spree will go to trial in 2026. Research has shown that secure firearm storage practices are associated with up to a 32% reduction in the risk of self-inflicted and unintentional firearm deaths. 'As a school system, we have resolved to educate our community on the importance of safe gun storage and its role in protecting students. Whether providing handouts for safety presentations, helpful information for digital communications, or even materials for school resource officers, resources from NC S.A.F.E. have been invaluable to that mission,' Robert Taylor, superintendent of the Wake County Public School System, said in a statement. For more information, click here for a safe storage fact sheet. NC Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a national nonprofit news organization. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Morrisey signs bill requiring West Virginia cities to hold elections on same day as the state
Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed into law Senate Bill 50, which requires cities and towns to change their election dates to be the same day as state elections by in 2032. (Lori Kersey | West Virginia Watch) West Virginia municipalities will be required to hold their elections on the same day as statewide general or primary elections under a bill Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed this week. Senate Bill 50 requires cities and towns to change their election dates by in 2032. Morrisey signed the bill into law on Friday. Supporters of the bill say requiring municipalities to have their elections along with state elections will save cities and towns money on election costs and lead to higher voter turnout. According to the West Virginia Secretary of State's Office, 113 municipalities across the state will have their elections in 2025, which is not a year for state elections. Both bodies of the Legislature overwhelmingly supported the measure. Different versions of the bill passed 96 to 2 in the House and unanimously in the Senate. Lawmakers ultimately approved the Senate's version of the bill, which sets a deadline of 2032 for the cities to change their election days. The House's version would have set the deadline at 2028. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
As NC lawmakers debate gun restrictions, schools stress safe storage
A North Carolina Highway Patrol officer demonstrates how to attach a gunlock (Photo: Screenshot from NC SAFE video -- Gun regulation has been one of the most hotly contested issues at the North Carolina General Assembly this year. Lawmakers have introduced bills on a myriad of topics: constitutional carry, handguns at private schools, and privacy around concealed carry permits, to name a few. Permitless concealed carry — known as constitutional carry due to the idea that individuals have the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms without infringement — has drawn the most attention. Senate Bill 50, 'Freedom to Carry NC,' allows individuals who are U.S. citizens, at least 18 years of age, and not otherwise prohibited by law to carry concealed weapons without applying for a permit. It's backed by Republican leadership and would make North Carolina the 30th state to approve of constitutional carry. The bill has passed the Senate and awaits further approval in the House. Its counterpart in the lower chamber, House Bill 5 or 'NC Constitutional Carry Act,' is largely the same. This measure still needs approval from the House Rules Committee. The biggest difference in the legislation is HB 5 authorizes elected officials in the state to carry a concealed firearm 'while performing their official duties if the official has a concealed handgun permit.' While the State Capitol and Executive Mansion are excluded from this list, it would be allowed at the State Legislative Building and Legislative Office Building, where lawmakers conduct their business. North Carolina residents are overwhelmingly opposed to the measures, according to newly released polls. But lawmakers have chosen to move forward. 'There is political play around this policy that is lawmakers in both chambers pandering to the far right extremists and, frankly, being more worried about their own primaries… than they are about the safety of their constituents,' Monisha Henley, senior vice president for government affairs at Everytown from Gun Safety, said. 'That is why they've been trying to push it through the legislature at lightning speed.' A 2022 study from the Crime Prevention Research Center looked at changes in crime and killings of police after adopting constitutional carry. Using data from 13 states, researchers found that the drop in murder is statistically significant, but the change in violent crime is not. Paul Valone, president of the Grass Roots North Carolina gun rights group, has spent decades working on the issue. He's modeled his advocacy after legislation in Vermont, the first state that didn't have restrictions requiring permits for concealed carry. 'SB 50 and HB 5 are not perfect bills, but they're what's achievable right now,' Valone said. 'Those of us who have spent a lot of time in the movement believe that because we lost our rights over generations incrementally, we will probably have to win them back incrementally.' The movement has spread to schools. House Bill 193, 'Firearm Law Revisions,' authorizes individuals with a valid concealed handgun permit to possess or carry a handgun on educational property owned, used, or operated by a private school. The bill's wording would allow anybody lawfully entitled to carry a concealed weapon to do so on the premises of a private school below the college level, with written permission from the school. This could be school officials, teachers, and even students. 'This bill endangers students, it endangers teachers, and people don't want it,' Rep. Deb Butler (D-New Hanover) said during a committee hearing. 'You're telling the teachers of North Carolina that we don't really care what you say.' Coming up next Tuesday, members of the House Judiciary 2 committee will discuss 'The Firearms Liberty Act.' House Bill 674 would among other changes allow for the issuance of lifetime concealed handgun permits. NC S.A.F.E. (Secure All Firearms Effectively), a statewide initiative to raise awareness on storing firearms safely, announced a partnership with the Wake County Public School System on Thursday. NC S.A.F.E for Schools is designed to help school districts across the state share resources about safe gun storage with parents in the district. The Wake County Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution in March of last year to 'regularly and consistently' provide families with information and resources on the importance of secure gun storage. North Carolina experienced at least 12 incidents of gunfire on school grounds in 2024, resulting in one death and nine injuries. Residents of Raleigh's Hedingham neighborhood are still reeling from an October 2022 mass shooting in which a teenager was able to access his father's firearms killing five people and wounding two others. The teen charged in that shooting spree will go to trial in 2026. Research has shown that secure firearm storage practices are associated with up to a 32 percent reduction in the risk of self-inflicted and unintentional firearm deaths. 'As a school system, we have resolved to educate our community on the importance of safe gun storage and its role in protecting students. Whether providing handouts for safety presentations, helpful information for digital communications, or even materials for school resource officers, resources from NC S.A.F.E. have been invaluable to that mission,' Robert Taylor, superintendent of the Wake County Public School System, said in a statement. For more information click here for a safe storage fact sheet.
