Local permits no longer needed to buy pistols

ASHEBORO — Effective immediately, North Carolina’s pistol purchase permit law is no longer in effect following the N.C. General Assembly overriding Gov. Cooper’s veto of Senate Bill 41, also known as the “Guarantee 2nd Amendment Freedom and Protections.” 

The bill does away with the requirement for individuals to obtain a purchase permit from their county sheriff to buy a handgun.

Dealers are still required to perform federal background checks with each purchase.  

The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release that all in-process pistol purchase permit applications on file with RCSO will be cancelled and no additional purchase permits will be issued. There will not be any refunds issued for purchase permits that have been submitted to the Sheriff’s Office or electronically through Permitium.   

Any person seeking to purchase a handgun through a firearms dealer will undergo the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) criminal background check required under current law and either be sold the handgun or denied sale if a criminal history search indicates the person is disqualified from possessing a firearm.  For private transfers of handguns, while no NICS criminal background check is required under current law prior to making a private transfer, criminal penalties still apply to any person that knowingly transfers a handgun to a person who may not lawfully possess the firearm. 

The repeal of the State’s pistol purchase permitting laws does not have any impact on our State laws governing the application for and issuance of concealed handgun permits by the Sheriff.  Sheriffs will continue to process concealed carry permit applications in the same manner.  

Sheriff Greg Seabolt praised the changes.

“The Freedom and Protections Bill will speed up the process for law-abiding citizens to purchase guns,” he said in the release. “I feel confident the NICS check will provide adequate protections and put guns only into the hands of citizens who are not precluded from owning them.”