Concealed carry in North Carolina

A permit to pack is an article from the News-Record of North Carolina (all emphasis mine):

While experts debate the merits of concealed handguns, this much is known: a News & Record analysis of thousands of state records shows proponents made at least one accurate prediction -- those who receive permits follow the law.

One-tenth of 1 percent of all permits issued since the law's inception have been revoked. Though the State Bureau of Investigation declined to release what led to revocations, local law enforcement officials say most weren't because of crime.

And those who carry hidden handguns may surprise you.

They're teachers and electricians, salon owners and factory workers, bus drivers and university accountants.

"As we like to say, a concealed-handgun-permit holder is the only certified law-abiding citizen that a law enforcement officer is likely to meet," said Paul Valone, president of Grass Roots North Carolina. "The people who have concealed handgun permits by and large are very ordinary people. They come from all walks of life."

There are also some lines from the victimization folks, like:

But she said the expansion of the law -- allowing permit holders to purchase guns without a sheriff's direct knowledge -- sets a dangerous precedent.

I haven't noticed any dangerous problems here in Texas. I don't see why NC would be any different. Also:

"In some states, almost anyone can get a concealed-carry permit."

Well, I would say almost anyone you meet is a law-abiding citizen, so why shouldn't almost anyone be allowed to carry concealed?

A couple of differences between the Texas and NC laws. They qualify with their handgun at 21 feet, which apparently in NC is "the maximum distance allowed under law for shooting an attacker in self-defense." That's kind of scary. How in the heck under that kind of stress are you going to be able to tell if they're within the "legal to shoot" zone? Besides, I don't see any criminals waiting to make sure they're within 21 feet before they start shooting at me. I'm glad TX doesn't have that restriction, and I think the NC gun folks should start some lobbying on this nonsense, if they haven't already.

The other difference I noticed is that the woman profiled used a .22, assuming this report is correct. No one should seriously expect to use a .22 for their standard personal defensive weapon, and they should qualify with something closer that what they actually plan on using. In Texas, you must qualify with a minimum of a .32 caliber firearm. Originally a minimum .38 caliber was necessary, but they changed it later on. What type of .32 is not specified, but of course I suppose they are referring to the .32 ACP.

I find this requirement kind of funny, because it means that you can legally qualify with your little .32 ACP Kel-Tec, but you would not be allowed to qualify with the vastly more powerful and difficult to handle CZ-52, because the CZ uses 7.62x25mm, which is technically only .30 caliber.

And I finally received my certified law-abiding citizen card in the mail yesterday. I messed around and waited so long that I was not able to legally carry for about 6 weeks. It's nice to have a license in my wallet again.