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Senate Commerce Com. to consider repealing "Permit" law TUESDAY

spy1

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Jul 5, 2007
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242
Location
Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
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This is from ResistNet:

Senate Commerce Committee to Consider Legislation to Repeal North Carolina ’s Law Requiring a Permit to Purchase a Pistol on Tuesday, April 21!

Action Needed Monday and Tuesday!!!!

NRA members and other supporters of the Second Amendment must make sure their collective voice is heard! Please contact members of the Senate Commerce Committee, especially if your Senator is on the Committee, and urge them to support S782! Contact information for the committee can be found here:

http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/Committees/Committees.asp?sAction=ViewCommittee&sActionDetails=Senate%20Standing_67

Please also contact your local sheriff and urge him to ask his Association to take either a position of support for S782, or at least be neutral.

S782, introduced by pro-gun State Senator Doug Berger (D-7), is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Commerce Committee on Tuesday, April 21, at 11:00 AM. This legislation would eliminate the requirement that law-abiding citizens acquire a permit to purchase a pistol from their local sheriff before they may lawfully acquire any pistol. NRA strongly supports this legislation, and it is our primary legislative objective for this session. There are numerous problems with this law, both in how it is written, and how it has been implemented.

First, such permits are simply another bureaucratic loop the state requires law-abiding citizens to jump through before exercising our constitutionally protected Right to Keep and Bear Arms. And why should someone be forced to acquire a permit from a sheriff if they wish to purchase a pistol from a licensed dealer? The dealer can just as easily run the same background check that is currently run when a rifle or shotgun is purchased.

Second, a permit can be denied if someone fails to prove they are of “good moral character.” What, exactly, defines “good moral character” is not specifically spelled out under the law, so a sheriff in one county may reject a permit applicant for something he considers to be not of “good moral character,” while a sheriff in another county may not come to the same conclusion. Uniformity in the exercise of constitutionally protected rights is critical to ensuring rights are not randomly and arbitrarily restricted. Furthermore, the reasons for denying rights must be carefully spelled out, and of a serious enough nature to warrant such action.

Third, several sheriffs have gone well beyond what the law specifically states, and implemented their own handgun rationing scheme. Dozens, according to information compiled by the group Grass Roots North Carolina, have set a limit on the number of permits that can be acquired at one time, while more than a dozen go so far as to set a limit on how many permits may be issued in a year. Some set the standard as low as two permits per year! Nowhere in the statute that establishes the permit system does it say anything about sheriffs being able to limit the number of pistols a law-abiding citizen may acquire.

Anti-gun extremists are already contacting Senators in opposition to this bill, and they will likely do everything they can to defeat it. The North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association has apparently come out in opposition to the legislation, but NRA has been working with that organization, and will continue to do so, to try to change its position.

http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2009&BillID=s782
 

Plyr58

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Here is a copy of the letter I sent (from Guilford County) in which I heavily borrowed from the above article. Feel free to modify it for your purposes in your district.


Dear State Senator Vaughan,

It is my understanding that you are a member of the Senate Commerce Committee and that this committee will be considering S782, introduced by State Senator Doug Berger (D-7), on Tuesday, April 21, at 11:00 AM. This legislation would eliminate the requirement that law-abiding citizens acquire a permit to purchase a pistol from their local sheriff before they may lawfully acquire any pistol. As a voting member of your district, I strongly support this legislation. There are numerous problems with this law, both in how it is written, and how it has been implemented.

First, such permits are simply another bureaucratic loop the state requires law-abiding citizens to jump through before exercising our constitutionally protected Right to Keep and Bear Arms. And why should someone be forced to acquire a permit from a sheriff if they wish to purchase a pistol from a licensed dealer? The dealer can just as easily run the same background check that is currently run when a rifle or shotgun is purchased.

Second, a permit can be denied if someone fails to prove they are of “good moral character.” What, exactly, defines “good moral character” is not specifically spelled out under the law, so a sheriff in one county may reject a permit applicant for something he considers to be not of “good moral character,” while a sheriff in another county may not come to the same conclusion. Uniformity in the exercise of constitutionally protected rights is critical to ensuring rights are not randomly and arbitrarily restricted. Furthermore, the reasons for denying rights must be carefully spelled out, and of a serious enough nature to warrant such action.

Third, several sheriffs have gone well beyond what the law specifically states, and implemented their own handgun rationing scheme. Dozens, according to information compiled by the group Grass Roots North Carolina, have set a limit on the number of permits that can be acquired at one time (including Guilford County, which limits citizens to five permits per application), while more than a dozen go so far as to set a limit on how many permits may be issued in a year. Some set the standard as low as two permits per year. Nowhere in the statute that establishes the permit system does it say anything about sheriffs being able to limit the number of pistols a law-abiding citizen may acquire.
As a law abiding citizen, gun owner, and voter in Guilford County, I strongly urge you to support this legislation.

Sincerely,
 

spy1

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Jul 5, 2007
Messages
242
Location
Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
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Further info for S. 782 (Repeal Pistol/Crossbow Transfer Permits) - thanks to William/NC State Director on ResistNet -

"here is a mass email list if you wish to use it. If your Senator was one of the original Sponsors or cosponsors, I would suggest that you add a comma after the last name on this list and add their name to the list to show support, or add a cc to them.

RC.Soles@ncleg.net,Floyd.McKissick@ncleg.net,David.Hoyle@ncleg.net,Tony.Rand@ncleg.net,Tom.Apodaca@ncleg.net,Larry.Shaw@ncleg.net,Phil.Berger@ncleg.net,
Doug.Berger@ncleg.net,Harris.Blake@ncleg.net,Julia.Boseman@ncleg.net,Peter.Brunstetter@ncleg.net,Debbie.Clary@ncleg.net,Katie.Dorsett@ncleg.net,
Tony.Foriest@ncleg.net,James.Forrester@ncleg.net,Linda.Garrou@ncleg.net,Eddie.Goodall@ncleg.net,Steve.Goss@ncleg.net,Malcolm.Graham@ncleg.net,
Neal.Hunt@ncleg.net,Jim.Jacumin@ncleg.net,Clark.Jenkins@ncleg.net,Vernon.Malone@ncleg.net,Martin.Nesbitt@ncleg.net,William.Purcell@ncleg.net,
Josh.Stein@ncleg.net,Richard.Stevens@ncleg.net,Don.Vaughan@ncleg.net

(Use the FIRST addy. in the "To:" line of your email - c&p the REST of them into the "Cc:" line of the same email).

Sample Email: ( "Subject:" line to simply read "Re: S. 782" ).

=====================================

Dear Members of the Senate Commerce Committee,

I am writing this in reference to S782 which would repeal the Pistol/Crossbow Transfer Permit. It is my hope that this committee will support this bill and move it forward towards passage.

Such permits are simply another bureaucratic hoop the state requires law-abiding citizens to jump through before exercising our constitutionally protected Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

Why should someone be forced to acquire a permit from a sheriff if they wish to purchase a pistol from a licensed dealer? The dealer can just as easily run the same background check that is currently run when a rifle or shotgun is purchased.

A permit can be denied if someone fails to prove they are of “good moral character.” What, exactly, defines “good moral character” is not specifically spelled out under the law, so a sheriff in one county may reject a permit applicant for something he considers to be not of “good moral character,” while a sheriff in another county may not come to the same conclusion. Uniformity in the exercise of constitutionally protected rights is critical to ensuring rights are not randomly and arbitrarily restricted. Furthermore, the reasons for denying rights must be carefully spelled out, and of a serious enough nature to warrant such action.Several sheriffs have gone well beyond what the law specifically states, and implemented their own handgun rationing scheme. Dozens, according to information compiled by the group Grass Roots North Carolina, have set a limit on the number of permits that can be acquired at one time, while more than a dozen go so far as to set a limit on how many permits may be issued in a year. Some set the standard as low as two permits per year! Nowhere in the statute that establishes the permit system does it say anything about sheriffs being able to limit the number of pistols a law-abiding citizen may acquire.

As you see the best way to check out a person requesting to purchase a handgun is to let the Licensed Dealer do just as they do now with the required check they do now with rifles and shotguns. This will also allow staff of the Sheriffs Depts. to put their resources to better use, fighting real crime and locking up real criminals. This will also make the law uniform throughout the entire State of North Carolina.

Thank you
Your name
Your Address

====================================

Please note - this is time critical - emails MUST be sent tomorrow or tomorrow evening/night for the vote on Tuesday!
 
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