• We are now running on a new, and hopefully much-improved, server. In addition we are also on new forum software. Any move entails a lot of technical details and I suspect we will encounter a few issues as the new server goes live. Please be patient with us. It will be worth it! :) Please help by posting all issues here.
  • The forum will be down for about an hour this weekend for maintenance. I apologize for the inconvenience.
  • If you are having trouble seeing the forum then you may need to clear your browser's DNS cache. Click here for instructions on how to do that
  • Please review the Forum Rules frequently as we are constantly trying to improve the forum for our members and visitors.

Moving to Raleigh from VA - Please Help!!!

boygenus69

New member
Joined
Jun 7, 2008
Messages
3
Location
, ,
imported post

Howdy all -

i've been living in VA for the last 4 years, and havea VA CCW/CHP permit. I realize this is an open carry site, but reading the posts for NC it seems like a lot of you have your CCW also.

Anyway, getting to the meat of my post:

I'm hoping to make a relatively seamless transition to NC citizenship, and maintaining my right to CCW. In VA, i wasable to show my hunters education course card and receive my CCW,From researching the laws, it seems as though NC will require me to takethe course, and not allow my Hunters education course. Where in raleighdo they have CCW courses? Ialso was lookingfor an IDPA range, but i believe i saw a post on here about that, so i'll research that again.

Anyway, do any of you guys have recommendations on making the move?Should i just move to raleigh, and then open carry until i get my course and CCW? Should i not transitionmycitizenship until after iget the course?

My VA permit is good inNC, and i've carried before when going down there, so my thought is probably to do the second thing, but looking for your opinions.

Also, can i get a clarifiation on the laws of CCW inNC on the following issue - specificaly, i know thatin VA the law is written that it is illegal to carry into the passenger terminal of the airport andi leave my gun in the car while going into the airport - what is the law in NC? I noticed the raleigh airporthas a big old sign that says "nofirearms" on the board - is it breaking the law by having the gunin your car while parking in the airport parking lots? Going to the airport in charlotte, I actually had a cop stop me on my way in to make sure I didn't "have any guns, knives, kilos of cocaine, etc.." i just freaked out when he asked me that, and wanted to find the clarification on the laws in NC.

Thanks for the help guys, this seems like a pretty cool place to post, I hope you guys don't mind me sticking around for a while!!!

mike
 

xdfan

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2007
Messages
104
Location
Alamance county, North Carolina, USA
imported post

Let me offer you an in-advance welcome to NC and the Triangle area, and have a go at answering your questions. I moved from the midwest to NC in fall of 2006, so some of this is still fresh...

First, yes, NC requires the CHP course, regardless of what other training you have. There may be exceptions for certain military or LE, but not for the average Joe. There are many options in the Raleigh area for classes - don't sweat that. Others here will probably recommend some. I took mine at a range near Burlington. As far as timing goes, it's when you take up residence here that you need to go get the CHP to carry concealed.

City governments appear to have some legal power to prohibit firearms in certain places, among them airports. After moving here I was planning to travel out of RDU and check my pistol in baggage (for which there are well-defined TSA procedures) but the 'no firearms' sign bugged me. So I asked the airport administration about it. Below is their reply. (BTW, I never heard back from anyone else.) Last, the "new and improved" firearms prohibited sign went up within 3-4 months of this response.

"Thank you for making us aware of your concern over the confusion of the roadway signs. The signs are up to make the public aware if they come on property and were not traveling and got stopped by Law Enforcement for a vehicle check/speeding and a firearm was found then they would be in violation of law and they would receive a notice of violation with a fine and they could be arrested if proper documentation was not provided on the spot for firearm transport. Customers traveling with firearms on an airplane must declared them at the ticket counter at time of check-in and have them stowed in proper firearm case. You will fill out papers at the airline ticket counters provided by the airline and copies are given to you as well as the captain. We have forwarded your feedback to the Chief of Police and Director of Engineering who oversees placement of roadway signs. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience you experienced during your visit to RDU."

If carrying, I stay off RDU property if possible, and definitely away from the terminals. As per the above advice, the only way I'll bring a gun there is if already packed in baggage and airline itinerary in hand.
 

brrrayday

New member
Joined
Jun 8, 2008
Messages
1
Location
, ,
imported post

Congratulations on choosing Raleigh, you won't be disappointed (perhaps lost on the roads for while, but that will pass).

I took my concealed carry class at the Personal Defense Handgun Safety Center. They have a website at http://www.pdhsc.com where you can get numbers to call and register for their class. The speaker they had was truly an expert; it was worth the extra money just to hear his stories and inside information about the NC concealed carry laws. I know of other people that offer classes, but none with someone so well versed in law, law enforcement, and concealed carry.

North Carolina is fairly gun-friendly, but with the statutes arranged so that every municipality and business can have their own rules about firearms, it can be a bit overwhelming to figure out where you can and can't carry. You cannot carry in:
-A movie theater
-A state fair
-A school
-Any government building, including its parking lot
-Any restaurant that sells beer/wine/liquor
-et cetera

This is because you can't carry in a place that requires an admission fee (ticket) or serves alcohol. Several local malls prohibit concealed firearms, but I'm not for sure that means open carry as well. I would assume yes, until I got it confirmed with a manager.

In wake county, you may have trouble gaining your concealed carry permit, as the sheriff is (from what I gather) deliberately slow in signing off on them. In my county, Harnett (directly south of Wake), I had my concealed carry after a week.

PDHSC is a great, active gun shop with an indoor firing range. I highly recommend them because they are very old-school and are extremely helpful. If you're looking for a particular type of gun range, I'm sure you can find your answers there.

-brady
 

Custodian

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2007
Messages
283
Location
The Capital City of Oaks - Raleigh, NC
imported post

brrrayday wrote:
Congratulations on choosing Raleigh, you won't be disappointed (perhaps lost on the roads for while, but that will pass).

I took my concealed carry class at the Personal Defense Handgun Safety Center. They have a website at http://www.pdhsc.com where you can get numbers to call and register for their class. The speaker they had was truly an expert; it was worth the extra money just to hear his stories and inside information about the NC concealed carry laws. I know of other people that offer classes, but none with someone so well versed in law, law enforcement, and concealed carry.

North Carolina is fairly gun-friendly, but with the statutes arranged so that every municipality and business can have their own rules about firearms, it can be a bit overwhelming to figure out where you can and can't carry. You cannot carry in:
-A movie theater
-A state fair
-A school
-Any government building, including its parking lot
-Any restaurant that sells beer/wine/liquor
-et cetera

This is because you can't carry in a place that requires an admission fee (ticket) or serves alcohol. Several local malls prohibit concealed firearms, but I'm not for sure that means open carry as well. I would assume yes, until I got it confirmed with a manager.

In wake county, you may have trouble gaining your concealed carry permit, as the sheriff is (from what I gather) deliberately slow in signing off on them. In my county, Harnett (directly south of Wake), I had my concealed carry after a week.

PDHSC is a great, active gun shop with an indoor firing range. I highly recommend them because they are very old-school and are extremely helpful. If you're looking for a particular type of gun range, I'm sure you can find your answers there.

-brady
The instructor I had at PDHSC was one R. Steven Johnson, a brilliant speaker. I still go over his text book about once a week.
 

Custodian

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2007
Messages
283
Location
The Capital City of Oaks - Raleigh, NC
imported post

boygenus69 wrote:
Howdy all -

i've been living in VA for the last 4 years, and havea VA CCW/CHP permit. I realize this is an open carry site, but reading the posts for NC it seems like a lot of you have your CCW also.
North Carolina is far more restrictive when it comes to firearms laws (IMO & I have proof -- for example: No firearms in restaurants that sell alcohol at all unless you are sworn street law enforcement, period) than Virginia. First reason I got my CCW, was because my job requires it to have a firearm on their (state) property even if its in my car. Second, the local Sheriff, no matter how constitutional his position is, has no business knowing when & what I buy, & I wanted the power to buy firearms on demand with no fuss. The myriad of laws governing the transportation of firearms, the CCW does cover & provide you as a bearer a lot better (because it seems its up to the discretion of street law enforcement). However, I prefer to open carry whenever possible.
 

boygenus69

New member
Joined
Jun 7, 2008
Messages
3
Location
, ,
imported post

thanks everybody for your help!

i'm moving down there the weekend of july 11, and it looks like the next weekend is a july ccw course - unfortunately, i think that may be the weekend of my bachelor party in DC, so i'm going to have to miss it

also, i really want to have my fiance(hopefully she'll be my wife in a little under 3 months, lol) take the course with me, because i want her to have the option to ccw - i suspect that i'll have to give up ccw until my permit will go through...which means i may be turning to OC while i've got no CCW permit.

what i've picked up here is that i can open carry pretty much anywhere except a bar. I believe i saw somewhere you can open carry in a bank on here? that's awesome - but i also saw pretty much you need to put the gun away when you want to go to the airport.

is this pretty accurate? thanks for everybody's help!
 
Top