Spending a Week in Frisco, NC - What Should I Know?

Hi, All.

I'm from Virginia, and I'm going to be spending a week with my family at a beach house in Frisco, NC before my brother deploys next month. I have my VA CHP, and I carry openly or concealed here everyday, but I'm not entirely clear on NC laws, and I'm hoping that you all can help me out a little.

Skipping everything about schools, courthouses, ect., here's what I know (or think I know):

1. NO carry in any restaurant that serves alcohol.

2. NO carry in places that charge admission. (?)

3. NO carry at public gatherings. (?)

I really need to be filled in on what this all means for the average tourist at the beach. What kinds of place can I go and still carry? What if I want to drive go-karts or play mini-golf, would I legally be o.k. to still carry? I honestly don't think that I will OC much, if at all, durring my visit, but I still want to know that I'm acting within the law.

Sorry for the rambling questions, but I hope y'all can help me out.

Thanks,
VApatriot

I just got back from the Outer Banks a few weeks ago and had no problems with OC except for a few looks from yankees. I think you are okay to carry, but I've read somewhere about not carrying on gamelands. Maybe someone can chime in about these "gamelands" as I am not sure where they are. I'm assuming that anything south of Nags Head might be part of these gamelands.

I'm assuming that by "someone", Matt means me... :uhoh:

VAPatriot, welcome to NC, and I hope you enjoy your stay here.

NC isn't quite as 2A friendly as VA, but we're pretty close. As long as you remember a few things, you should be OK.

You've got the "Restaurants that serve alcohol" thing already--here in NC you can't carry at all--OC or CC in a restaurant or bar that serves alcohol. (we're working on getting that overturned next session of the GA)

You also can't carry (OC or CC) in any venue that charges admission. Generally this refers to movie theaters, but could also apply to museums, tourist venues, concerts, or fairs.

The third one you listed isn't wuite that cut and dried though. You need to read the ENTIRE statute, and pay careful attention to the commas and phrases. You CAN carry in "public gatherings" with a few restrictions. You may NOT carry at any protest held on government property, or while protesting against a medical facility. You may not carry at funerals. Since you are here on vacation, you probably won't have much call to be attending any of those sorts of events anyway, so you should be good.

Public events that do not charge admission, or are not on the list of "prohibited events" are OK for carry. Community festivals that are free, public concerts that are free, most beaches in NC, and Federal Parklands are OK.

State Parks are NOT OK for carry in NC (We DID get that one changed this session, but it doesn't go into effect until December...)

Some city/municipal parks may be posted, but technically that is not legal, so if you want to be a "Test case" then carry on, but most places don't seem to enforce their illegal "local code carry bans" except Carry. There have been recent reports of a few rogue LEOs in Durham who don't now the law, but I believe those situations have been dealt with, and Durham LEOs should all be on the right track now.

Matt is correct about the "NC Game Lands" restriction. NC Gamelands are ALL over the state, and avoiding them is nearly impossible if you spend any time at all in National Parks on on the Shore, but it seems that NPS officers are onyl interested in enforcing FEDERAL law, and have no interest (and no jurisdiction) to enforce NC State Statutes...

Also, it against NC law to have a loaded firearm on a boat launch. You can carry, but it needs to be unloaded. Once you are onboard the vessel, however, it is perfectly legal to have a loaded firearm. (unless you are boating through gamelands, and it is hunting season)...

Frisco is out on the OBX, so you need to be careful about wandering onto NC Game Lands. If you are in town, it won't be an issue. If you are on any of the beaches it shouldn't be an issue. But if you go out wandering in the dunes or the marshes, it might be worth your time to locate a NC Gamelands map of the area, and figure out where the prohibited areas are.

BTW, I know for a fact that the the Wright Brothers National Monument is OK-friendly--I carried there last summer--you just cant go into the building where the gift shop/museum display is.

OTOH, Jockey Ridge is OFF-LIMITS for any sort of carry (until Dec.1 when the new law goes into effect) because it is a NC State Park.

But the Beach in Nags Head (which is just a bit north of where you will be) IS OC-friendly--or at least it was for me...

There are three basic rules for OC in NC:

1) Keep your eyes open for signs,
2) Know the law, and
3) Keep a secure lock-box in your car because you'll probably need to leave your gun in your vehicle at some point. (if you have a CC permit, you can just go "deep concealed", but that has it's own risks, and I will not advocate breaking the more nonsensical parts of NC carry law--although I hear it works well for some people...)

Good luck, and study hard...

Dreamer said:

I'm assuming that by "someone", Matt means me... :uhoh:

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Yep :lol:

I remember reading something about gamelands on a map of some sort, but couldn't find out much beyond that.

mattwestm said:

...and had no problems with OC except for a few looks from yankees...

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I thought every good North Carolinian knew that most beaches North of 64 were "Yankee Beaches"...

asullivangarner said:

I thought every good North Carolinian knew that most beaches North of 64 were "Yankee Beaches"...

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When we were at the Wright Brother memorial, there was a group of German (European) schoolkids there on a trip. They were all oggling and pointing, and one asked me if I was "police officer". I said no, just a citizen exercising my rights, and I handed them a few "NC Gun Rights" brochures. I imagine that was the coolest brochure they got on their trip to the USA...

Dreamer said:

When we were at the Wright Brother memorial, there was a group of German (European) schoolkids there on a trip. They were all oggling and pointing, and one asked me if I was "police officer". I said no, just a citizen exercising my rights, and I handed them a few "NC Gun Rights" brochures. I imagine that was the coolest brochure they got on their trip to the USA...

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Good work Sir, GOOD WORK!!!

Here's a good site for reference as well. Just to add to what's been covered.

http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/northcarolina.pdf

Dreamer said:

I'm assuming that by "someone", Matt means me... :uhoh:


Matt is correct about the "NC Game Lands" restriction. NC Gamelands are ALL over the state, and avoiding them is nearly impossible if you spend any time at all in National Parks on on the Shore, but it seems that NPS officers are onyl interested in enforcing FEDERAL law, and have no interest (and no jurisdiction) to enforce NC State Statutes...

Also, it against NC law to have a loaded firearm on a boat launch. You can carry, but it needs to be unloaded. Once you are onboard the vessel, however, it is perfectly legal to have a loaded firearm. (unless you are boating through gamelands, and it is hunting season)...

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Hi Dreamer, I thought that National Parks are OK, but all National Forests are considered NC Gamelands. National Parks also are included in gamelands?

Also, I think you are only OK to carry on gamelands when hunting season is on, it's not OK to carry when it's not hunting season. Of course, believe you are OK anytime on gamelands if you carry a .22 with less than 7 inch barrel.

Enjoy your trip!

The following link will take you to a section of the NC Wildlife Resources webpage that has downloadable PDF game land maps or online interactive gameland maps.

Hope this helps in determining where you are in relation to them.

http://www.ncwildlife.org/Hunting/H_Game_Land_Maps.htm

Thanks a lot, Dreamer; your post was exactly the info I needed. I could have guessed that you'd be the first to jump in with some help on NC laws.

REDFIVE48 said:

Hi Dreamer, I thought that National Parks are OK, but all National Forests are considered NC Gamelands. National Parks also are included in gamelands?

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Not all National Forests are NC Gamelands, but there is a huge percentage of overlap.

Also, there is some overlap between some National Parks and NC Gamelands, especially in the Coastal zones.

And of course there are some NC Gamelands that are not overlapping any sort of park at all, but DO overlap other "public lands" like some of the coastal beach areas, so you need to be careful if you are the "wandering type"...

REDFIVE48 said:

Also, I think you are only OK to carry on gamelands when hunting season is on, it's not OK to carry when it's not hunting season. Of course, believe you are OK anytime on gamelands if you carry a .22 with less than 7 inch barrel.

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Yes, you are correct, except if you're going to carry on NC Gamelands during hunting season, I believe you must have a valid NC hunting license, even if you're not hunting...

Dreamer said:

Not all National Forests are NC Gamelands, but there is a huge percentage of overlap.

Also, there is some overlap between some National Parks and NC Gamelands, especially in the Coastal zones.

And of course there are some NC Gamelands that are not overlapping any sort of park at all, but DO overlap other "public lands" like some of the coastal beach areas, so you need to be careful if you are the "wandering type"...




Yes, you are correct, except if you're going to carry on NC Gamelands during hunting season, I believe you must have a valid NC hunting license, even if you're not hunting...

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I'm no coastal expert, but I can't imaging Gameland and NP's overlapping. Do they allow hunting on any parks down east? I know all the NF land on the west side of the state is gamelands. It has to fall under the gamelands regulations if you are going to hunt it. There are also lots of gamelands that are technically private property but open to the public. Think big paper companies, power companies, and such.

Also, there is no mention of having to posses a hunting license to carry on Gamelands. The regs are here, on page 62 on the right side under weapons. Good gosh this is obnoxious. I emailed the NCWRC to ask if they were planning on bringing this in line with state park and NP firearms laws. If I here back I'll post it.

http://www.ncwildlife.org/Regs/2010_11/2010-11_RegsDigest.pdf

I've got one more question. If stopped by a LEO in NC, is there any legal duty to notify the officer if you are carrying?

This is of course not required in Virginia, but I know that it is in some other states.

VApatriot said:

I've got one more question. If stopped by a LEO in NC, is there any legal duty to notify the officer if you are carrying?

This is of course not required in Virginia, but I know that it is in some other states.

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CC, absolutely must notify.

OC, recommended but not spelled out in the law.