Updated as of 9:19 p.m. on April 28 to include video.

A North Carolina bill that would allow people over the age of 18 to carry a concealed handgun without a permit was approved by the state Senate and is currently under review in the North Carolina House of Representatives. 

Senate Bill 50, or “Freedom to Carry NC,” which was approved by the state Senate on March 20, proposes several changes to the current permit process, allowing individuals to purchase and carry concealed handguns without a thorough background check by local law enforcement. It also lowers the age in which you can carry a concealed handgun from 21 to 18 years old. 

Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson said that the previous permit process allowed law enforcement to deny permits based on the person’s reputation. 

“We run a criminal record on the individual with psychological records,” Johnson said. “It’s hard to fool a sheriff on your reputation. A sheriff can deny on a person’s reputation. Might not be a felony, but they may have committed 10, 15 misdemeanors.” 

The bill passed in the Senate 26-18 along party lines, adding five amendments and rejecting 11 others before final approval. One of those amendments, proposed by Sen. Mujtaba Mohammed (D-Mecklenburg), would increase the amount of money paid for line-of-duty deaths from $100,000 to $150,000. If passed, North Carolina would be the 30th state to institute permitless concealed carry. 



The bill still maintains restrictions for those who have been indicted for a felony or have been determined by a court to be “lacking mental capacity,” among other limitations. Johnson said he supports the Second Amendment but believes the process to carry a concealed handgun should still involve obtaining a permit. 

“With the number of violent gun crimes that have gone on in this county, in this state, in this nation, I think we can okay that little bit of time,” Johnson said. 

Senate Bill 50 would also remove the current handgun training requirement of eight hours. Zac Harward, the owner of Weapon Works LLC in Burlington, said he agrees with the removal of required permits and training because of a general lack in government efficiency when it comes to providing these services. 

“The government has shown time and time again they’re just not good at regulating anything,” Harward said. “I have a tough time saying it’s OK for the government to regulate that kind of stuff.”

Although he doesn’t agree with the government administering the training, Harward said that he would still encourage gun owners to seek training themselves. 

“I just wish society would move towards people taking personal responsibility knowing you need to get that training,” Harvard said. “Go get the training, do what’s right, and I think that that’s the way it should be handled.”

Senate leader Phil Berger (R-Guilford, Rockingham) introduced the bill to the Senate after previously opposing a similar bill in 2023. That same year, the House and Senate removed the pistol permit system that required people to obtain a permit from the sheriff’s office before purchasing a handgun.

If the House approves Senate Bill 50, it will be sent to Gov. Josh Stein’s desk for signature