Two of the most important bills in recent NC history:
HB310
HB476

House Bill 310:

HB310, sponsored by State Representatives George Cleveland (R-14), Mark Hilton (R-96), and Tim Moore (R-110), would have prohibited any government agency from confiscating or regulating the lawful sale, possession, transfer, transport, and carry of firearms during a declared state of emergency.

Currently State law declares that during a formally declared State of Emergency, the law-abiding public is not allowed to carry handguns to defend themselves. Not only are law-abiding citizens not allowed to carry, but currently there's nothing in the State Constitution that prohibits the police from confiscating weapons during a State of Emergency. We all have remember what happened when the police disarmed the law-abiding public in New Orleans... only the criminals had guns, and they overwhelmed the police. This bill seeks to remove this bit of idiocy from the State law while fortifying what the 2nd Amendment is all about.

House Bill 476:

The “Castle Doctrine” self-defense bill, HB476, sponsored by State Representatives Mark Hilton (R-96), Jim Harrell (D-90), Tim Moore (R-110), and Phillip Frye (R-84), would allow an individual to use deadly force to protect him or herself wherever they have a legal right to be. The bill also provides civil immunity for those who defend themselves from criminal attack.

This bill is monumental! It's chock-full of self-defense goodness. Currently the Castle Doctrine says that if you're in your house, car or hotel room (may be other exceptions) you don't have to run and hide before deadly force is authorized. This bill, if passed in it's current form, would basically extend your "Castle" to be wherever you legally have a right to go - whether it be school, concerts, restaurants, etc. This is a big one and would greatly impact the rights of conceal carry licensees, as they would easily be able to nearly eliminate "gun-free zones" - or as I like to call them: "Criminal free-reign zones." The second part is easily as groundbreaking as the first. Should a victim be found - by a court - to be perfectly within their rights to use deadly force, currently there's nothing in the law that prohibits civil suits after the fact. A family can still file a wrongful death case and sue even though the person was found to be correct in their actions. HB476 would close this loophole.

These 2 bills could quite possibly push NC to be one of the safest States in the entire country. As a Democratic Ohio Congressman put it, "There are too many people who are just evil and mean-spirited. They will hurt you for no reason. If more people were packing guns, it might serve as a deterrent."

Unfortunately, both of these bills are considered “dead” until the next legislative session. If I have read the regulations properly, these bills cannot proceed until the 2009-2010 session.

We can thank the House Judiciary II Committee for dragging their feet on our SAFETY.