North Carolina: Shall-Sign Bill Heads to Gov. McCrory for Signature

This past Monday, July 27, the North Carolina Senate overwhelmingly passed HB 562, a pro-gun, pro-suppressor omnibus bill that will make North Carolina the 14th state to implement Shall-Sign/Shall-Certify legislation.  The bill, which had strong bipartisan support in both chambers of the North Carolina legislature, passed the Senate 40-9 after passing the House in a 78-37 vote.

In addition to other pro-gun provisions, HB 562 will ensure that law-abiding North Carolina residents are able to purchase and own suppressors by requiring Chief Law Enforcement Officers (CLEOs) to sign suppressor applications within 15 days of receipt, unless the applicant is found to be a prohibited person.  Once the bill is signed into law by Gov. McCrory, North Carolina will join the other 13 states with similar provisions, ensuring that CLEOs will not have veto power over the people’s right to own suppressors.

The CLEO signoff issue became a top priority for the American Suppressor Association following the Obama Administration’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Docket No. ATF 41P. This is the executive action which seeks to extend the CLEO signoff requirement to every member of every NFA trust and legal entity. Many CLEOs refuse to sign NFA applications, basing their refusal on perceived liability or on purely political reasons. The enactment of HB 562 into law will ensure that law abiding citizens in North Carolina can receive a CLEO certification within a reasonable amount of time, regardless of the outcome of 41P.

As always, the American Suppressor Association will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that your suppressor rights are protected and expanded nationwide. We thank the all the North Carolina legislators who voted in favor of HB 562 to protect the rights of law abiding citizens in North Carolina. We also thank the National Rifle Association for their involvement and unwavering support of this issue.

The ASA is very excited about the prospects of this bill becoming law, but there is still work to do before we can declare victory. We need your help to push this effort past the finish line! Using this link, please email Gov. McCrory and politely urge him to sign HB 562 into law.

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