Concealed weapons bill advances in House

RALEIGH -- A bill that would eliminate the requirement for most concealed handgun permits in North Carolina cleared a second House committee on Thursday.

The House Finance Committee approved House Bill 756 on a split, party-line vote. Democrats tried to put the brakes on the bill – which just began moving on Wednesday – on procedural grounds: that legislative staff hadn’t yet prepared analyses of the financial impact and the cost to the court system.

There was also confusion in the committee meeting about what the bill does.

It would allow anyone who is 18 or older to carry a handgun either openly or concealed without having to first qualify for a permit. Currently, concealed-carry permit applicants must be at least 21 years old.

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