S50 - Freedom to Carry NC. (Ratified)

Overview: Senate Bill 50 would have made the following changes to the firearms laws of North Carolina:

• Created a new Article 54C in the General Statutes, which would have authorized the concealed carry of a handgun by any U.S. citizen, who is at least 18 years old, and who is not otherwise disqualified by law because of a disqualifying criminal conviction or otherwise.  The list of disqualifying criteria would have mirrored the criteria contained in G.S. 14-415.12(b) which would disqualify a person from obtaining a concealed handgun permit.  
• Allowed a person to carry a concealed handgun pursuant to Article 54B or Article 54C.
• Continued to authorize the issuance of concealed handgun permits for purposes of reciprocity with other states, efficiency of purchasing a firearm, and various other reasons.
• Eliminated an impaired driving conviction within the prior three years as a disqualifying event to obtaining a concealed handgun permit.  
• Amended the current prohibitions against carrying a firearm into an assembly where a fee is charged for admission or an establishment where alcohol is served to only prohibit firearms in those locations if the person is consuming alcohol or has alcohol or a controlled substance remaining in their body.
• Amended several statutes that generally prohibit firearms in certain locations but provide an exception for a person with a concealed handgun permit, to modify the exception to reflect the creation of Article 54C.
• Amended the disqualifying criteria for restoration of firearm rights for a felon to remove a finding of probable cause for a felony from the list of disqualifying criteria.  Being under indictment for a felony would have remained a disqualifier.

Section 1.9 of the bill would have increased the public safety employee death benefit to $150,000.

Section 9.1 would have increased the punishment for assault with a firearm to a Class B1 felony if the assault is committed against one of the following:

• A law enforcement officer
• A probation officer
• A parole officer
• A member of the North Carolina National Guard
• An employee of a detention facility
• An emergency medical technician or other emergency health care provider
• A medical responder
• A firefighter
• A telecommunicator employed by a law enforcement agency.

Sections 15.5 and 15.6 would have amended the offense of possession of a firearm by a felon, which is a Class G felony, to include two new offenses as follows:

• A Class F felony for possession of a firearm by a felon during the commission or attempted commission of a felony under Chapter 14 or Article 5 of Chapter 90.
• A Class C felony for possession of a firearm by a felon when a firearm is discharged during the commission or attempted commission of a felony under Chapter 14 or Article 5 of Chapter 90.

Section 8 of S.L. 2025-71, which creates new offenses regarding possession of a firearm or weapon of mass death and destruction by a felon, is similar to the provisions in Section 15.5 and Section 15.6 of Senate Bill 50. Senate Bill 50 was ratified by the General Assembly on June 12, 2025, and vetoed by the Governor on June 20, 2025.