In an interview with Bill LuMaye
of WPTF, Governor Pat McCrory claimed he will sign
House Bill 937. The question is, can we take his word for it? After all, in the election he claimed he wouldn't play politics with your
rights...
Below you will find contact information for McCrory along with a
recommendation that you tell him you want actions, not
words. Moreover, reports indicate that HB 937
phone calls are running
50-50, so even if you already called,
call again!
First, please accept my
thanks for the gratifying response to Tuesday's initial news. It was actually strong enough to overwhelm our website server, so if you were unable to get through, please try
again. (Volume remains strong, so please keep
trying.)
How HB 937 almost died...
As you recall, House Speaker Thom Tillis
(R-Mecklenburg, GRNC ****) initially stripped restaurant carry out of
House Bill 17, allowing the bill to leave committee containing only
concealed
handgun/purchase permit privacy.
Supported by GRNC, however, Rep. Larry Pittman
(R-Cabarrus, ****) threatened a floor fight to return the measure. As
pressure from gun owners and his own caucus continued to build, Tillis
eventually tasked Reps. Jacqueline Schaffer (R-Mecklenburg, ****) and Justin Burr
(R-Montgomery, Stanly, ****) to draft a bill containing restaurant
carry, state parking lots and limited campus carry (universities only).
To Tillis'
credit, he and Rules Chair Rep. Tim Moore (R-Cleveland, ****) whisked it through the chamber, avoiding weakening amendments.
Once HB 937 went to the Senate, however, Senator Buck Newton
(R-Johnston, Nash, Wilson ****) dramatically expanded
the bill to improve virtually all aspects. Under the
leadership of Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger
(R-Guilford, Rockingham, ****) and Rules Chair Tom Apodaca
(R-Buncombe, Henderson, Transylvania, ****), the Senate promptly sent the bill back to the House for a concurrence vote.
Then the problems began. The NC Sheriffs' Association, apparently motivated by money and power, objected to the
purchase permit repeal added in the Senate. Governor Pat McCrory (R, ***) immediately
buckled and Tillis, apparently loath to cross the Governor, formed a plan to replace the purchase permit repeal with a "study
committee."
On the Senate side, Newton correctly noted that a bill should not, in
good conscience, be passed which allowed the flawed and archaic purchase
permit system to remain in place. With GRNC input, Newton began putting
together stronger alternatives than a study committee.
In negotiations, the House
wanted a "pre-conference" resolution of differences before bringing the
bill to a vote, but the Senate insisted the House take a concurrence
vote and, if they failed to concur, differences would be resolved in
conference committee.
Meanwhile, with adjournment pending the clock
was ticking. As a means of breaking the impasse,
GRNC shopped to the Speaker's office (and got support for) a partial purchase permit repeal.
But then the NRA stepped
in, not only repudiating the partial repeal but also
endorsing Tillis' (and the sheriffs') study committee. Provided cover by a major gun rights organization, the House dug in its heals.
In response, GRNC pressured both sides to come to a deal, noting that Republicans would be held responsible if the bill failed. Distributing alerts at
three gun shows and sending more than 300,000 email
alerts to North Carolina gun owning voters, your
input flooded email inboxes and shut down phone lines for two successive Monday mornings.
Contact Gov. McCrory
ASAP!
Immediate action is required:
- TELL GOV. McCRORY THAT ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS: Call him at 919-814-2000 at 9:00 AM on Monday and email him at: governor.office@nc.gov.
- SIGN THE GRNC PETITION TO McCRORY: Go to: http://grnc.org/pass-h937. Whether or not you have already signed it, forward the link to others and have them sign.
- JOIN OR CONTRIBUTE TO GRNC: We are member-funded and depend on you to give us the resources necessary to defend our rights. If you have joined or contributed, GRNC thanks you. If not, please go to: http://www.grnc.org/join-grnc/
contribute.
Thanks to you, we are close to
an enormous victory. Now it's time for the final
sprint across the finish line.
Armatissimi e liberissimi,
F. Paul Valone
President, Grass Roots North Carolina
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