Summary — HB 964: Concealed Carry Weapon Permit / Allow Carry of Other Weapons
Status: Passed 1st Reading (Introduced 11/12/2024). Effective date in bill: December 1, 2025 (applies to offenses committed on or after that date).
Purpose
- To allow persons who hold a North Carolina concealed handgun permit (or whose permit is treated as valid under state law, or who are otherwise exempt from obtaining such a permit) to carry concealed weapons other than handguns that are currently prohibited when concealed.
Key provisions
- Amends G.S. 14‑269(a) (prohibitions on carrying concealed deadly weapons) to add express exceptions for persons in the following circumstances:
- The person is on their own premises (existing exception retained).
- The person has a concealed handgun permit issued under Article 54B, has a permit considered valid under G.S. 14‑415.24 (reciprocity/validation), or is otherwise exempt from the permit requirement — provided they are not carrying where or when carrying a concealed handgun is already prohibited by law.
- Military permittees (as defined in existing statutes) who provide required proof of deployment, subject to the same “where prohibited” limitation.
- Adds G.S. 14‑415.11(c4): explicitly authorizes any concealed handgun permit holder to carry concealed any weapon described in G.S. 14‑269(a), subject to the same location/time prohibitions that apply to concealed handguns.
- Lists of weapons covered by G.S. 14‑269(a) include (but are not limited to): bowie knives, dirks, daggers, slung shots, loaded canes, metallic knuckles, razors, shuriken, stun guns, and “other deadly weapons of like kind.”
Preservation of prosecutions
- Section preserving prosecutions: offenses committed before the act’s effective date are not abated or affected; prior statutes remain applicable to those prosecutions.
Who is affected
- Primary: holders of North Carolina concealed handgun permits and persons whose permits are treated as valid or who are statutorily exempt from permit requirements (these persons gain the legal ability to carry certain other concealed weapons).
- Secondary: law enforcement (enforcement and training implications), prosecutors and courts (changes to defenses/charges), and the public where concealed-weapons carriage changes may affect public safety dynamics.
Limitations and conditions
- The new authorization does not remove preexisting prohibitions on carrying concealed handguns (e.g., statutory locations where concealed handguns are prohibited). Permit holders may not carry the other weapons in places where concealed handguns are already barred.
- Military permittees must meet existing proof-of-deployment requirements.
Implementation timeline
- Bill applies to offenses committed on or after December 1, 2025.
Implications (informational, not evaluative)
- The bill broadens the practical scope of concealed‑carry privileges by extending them from handguns to a set of other weapons for permit holders. This may affect enforcement priorities, training, prosecutorial charging decisions, and local public-safety considerations where concealed-carry restrictions currently apply.
