Nearly one month after the North Carolina General Assembly repealed the permit requirement to purchase handguns, gun stores in Cumberland County are reporting an increase in handgun sales.
The legislature voted 71-46 on March 28 to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto and enact Senate Bill 41, removing the requirement to obtain a permit from the local constable in order to purchase a pistol. In March, Cumberland County Sheriff Ennis Wright clarified that concealed carry permits are still required.
Cumberland County retailers report increased sales.
Friday, the managers of three gun stores in Cumberland County reported an increase in pistol and handgun sales over the past month.
Lauren Yerk, the general manager of Yadkin Road’s Rock Guns & Accessories, stated, “We did have a great deal more customers.”
Yerk noted an increase in the number of consumers in their twenties and thirties purchasing pistols and an increase in firearm transfers.
“We’ve seen an increase in transfers, i.e., people purchasing items online or from other retailers and having them shipped to our store for pick-up,” she said. Then we perform a background check and complete the paperwork for them.
According to Yerk, the increase appears to have been exacerbated by the new legislation. Zef Medina, the proprietor of Shooters Supply on Bragg Boulevard, reported that pistol sales have increased by at least 10 percent over the past month.
The operations manager at Guns Plus in Spring Lake, Amber Sauceda, reported that handgun sales have increased by approximately 30% since the bill’s implementation.
Related: North Carolina law no longer requires a permit to purchase a pistol, but one is still required to carry a concealed firearm.
“Customers are pleased that they do not have to visit the sheriff’s office,”
Yerk stated that she believed the shift resulted from individuals finding it simpler and less expensive to purchase a pistol, particularly for self-defense.
She stated, “There are fewer hoops to jump through.” “Those without the extra $10 or the extra month to wait can obtain a firearm much more easily.”
Although a pistol purchase permit is no longer required, background checks are still required, administrators informed prospective customers.
“We still need to conduct a background check on you,” Medina explained. “You must still be 21 years old, meet all requirements, complete the form, and have a valid ID.”