What exactly are the laws for minors possessing guns in North Carolina?

When it comes to minors purchasing firearms in North Carolina, the rules are clear: No one under the age of 21 may buy handguns, and no one younger than 18 can buy long guns, such as shotguns or rifles.

The state actually adheres to federal standards when it comes to such age restrictions.

But the rules are different in North Carolina when it comes to the possession of firearms. And it can get a little confusing.

  • North Carolina law makes it a misdemeanor for someone under the age of 18 to possess a handgun.
  • But there is no similar NC statute specifically addressing the possession of “long guns” — rifles, shotguns and carbines (except for a statute that allows children younger than 12 to handle firearms with permission from or under supervision of adults.).

So what exactly are the rules for minors possessing or using guns? There are a few.

▪ Under the age of 12. A child under the age of 12 must have permission from their parent or guardian to possess or use a firearm, whether loaded or unloaded, or be under the supervision of an adult, says NC statute 14-316. Violation is a misdemeanor.

▪ Keeping guns away from minors. According to North Carolina statute 14-315.1., people who possess firearms and live with minors have a responsibility to store firearms in a way that unsupervised minors cannot access them.

The penalty for not doing this is a Class 1 misdemeanor — but only under certain circumstances: if that firearm is obtained without permission and the minor exhibits the weapon in a public place or in a threatening manner, carries it onto an “educational property,” causes injury or death (not in self-defense) or uses it in the commission of a crime.

The statute is long, but specifies that the adult may be responsible if the firearm is stored “in a condition that the firearm can be discharged and in a manner that the person knew or should have known that an unsupervised minor would be able to gain access to the firearm.”

▪ No guns on school grounds. It is a Class 1 felony for anyone of any age to possess or carry (openly or concealed) any kind of firearm on “educational property” or to an extracurricular activity sponsored by a school. If that weapon is discharged, it’s a Class F felony. (Note: does not apply to BB guns, stun guns, air rifles or air pistols.).

It is also a Class 1 felony to encourage or aid a minor (less than 18 years old) to carry a firearm onto an educational property.

▪ No permit needed for “long guns.” You do not need any kind of permit to own a “long gun,” which includes a rifle or shotgun, but you do need a North Carolina ID and the buyer must pass a background check. (You do need need a permit to purchase a handgun.)

Why is it a crime to improperly store a firearm, but not illegal for a minor to own a rifle?

In North Carolina, it is not illegal for a minor to possess a long gun, such as a shotgun or rifle. And yet, it can be a crime for a minor to access a firearm if a parent or guardian has not properly secured it.

It all depends on what the minor does with the gun they access.

From the state statute (G.S. 14-315.1), here are all the elements that must be present for improper storage of a firearm to be a crime:

WNY Baptist ministers filing federal lawsuit over NYS ban on guns in place of worship

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — On Thursday, two Western New York congregation leaders alongside Firearms Police Coalition and Second Amendment Foundation filed a lawsuit against New York State.

The plaintiffs are challenging the state’s law and regulation banning guns in places of worship or places of religious observation.

The two WNY congregational leaders, Pastor Jimmie Hardaway with Trinity Baptist Church and Bishop Larry Boyd with Open Praise Full Gospel Baptist are filing this against Kevin Bruen, who recently resigned as Superintendent of the New York State Police, Niagara County District Attorney, Brian Seaman, and Erie County District Attorney, John Flynn.

According to the 49-page lawsuit, the ban denies the plaintiffs and “other typical law-abiding individuals” from carrying loaded handguns “in case of confrontation for immediate self-defense in a place of worship that would otherwise permit them to carry.”

The complaint notes that both Hardaway would typically carry a concealed firearm at Trinity Baptist, particularly on Sundays and during services.

“Reverend Hardaway has carried both for self-defense and because he feels a unique obligation to his congregants as Pastor to be prepared in case of confrontation. Trinity Baptist is in a neighborhood that has struggled with violent incidents,” the complaint argues.

It is also noted Boyd would carry a concealed firearm at Open Praise’s on Sundays and during services. “Open Praise is in a neighborhood that has struggled with crime, violence, and gang-related issues,” the complaint argues.

The plaintiffs also argue that because of tragic shootings in churches across the country, specifically in Charleston in 2015, Boyd has even more of a desire to carry for self-defense.

Boyd and Hardaway, the complaint argues, are both law-abiding, responsible gun owners.

7 News did reach out to Boyd and Hardaway for comment, but was directed to their attorneys, Nicolas Rotsko and Pete Patterson. 7 News reached out to them, but have not heard back.

7 News also reached out to the defendants. A spokesperson for the Erie County’s District Attorney’s office said Flynn would not comment on pending litigation.

Store owner shoots, kills 2 suspects trying to rob jewelry booth at Orlando flea market

Two men were killed and two others are on the loose after they attempted to rob a jewelry vendor at an Orlando flea market and were shot by the owner.

Orlando Police Department officers responded on Friday, October 14, at 11:44 a.m. to the Magic Mall after receiving calls regarding a shooting.

According to police, four suspects attempted to rob a jewelry booth inside the mall, which is an indoor flea market located at 2155 West Colonial Drive. At least one of the four suspects was armed.

The store owner shot at the suspects, who then attempted to flee the scene. One of the suspects was found dead at the scene by police.

The other three suspects fled in a vehicle that was later found at a nearby location. One of the suspects who had been shot was found inside the vehicle with a gunshot wound.

That suspect was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased.

The other two suspects have not been located by police.

Okay, update on the Raleigh massacre.
Why the type of gun wasn’t mentioned?
Nailed it: Shotgun. And that doesn’t fit the gun banner’s narrative, so this will be shoved down the memory hole by Monday. And all SloJoe could do is replay he want’s to ban ‘assault weapons’.

Raleigh Active Shooter VIDEO: Multiple Dead

A 15-year-old active shooter, wearing camouflage and wielding a shotgun, randomly shot and killed five people near a trail in Raleigh, North Carolina. Video emerged from the scene, showing a massive law enforcement response.

FPC VICTORY: Judge Issues Injunction Against California Gun Owner Data-Sharing Law

SAN DIEGO, CA (October 14, 2022) – Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced that San Diego Superior Court Judge Katherine Bacal has issued a preliminary injunction in its lawsuit challenging California Assembly Bill 173, which requires the state’s Department of Justice to share the personal identifying information of millions of gun and ammunition owners with other parties for non-law-enforcement purposes. The ruling in Barba v. Bonta, which was affirmed by the judge in full, can be viewed at FPCLegal.org.

“Defendant responds plaintiffs cannot establish irreparable harm because the personal identifying information has already been shared with researchers as recently as November of 2021. Yet this does not account for the potential ongoing and future harms that could occur by continuous use of the information,” wrote Judge Bacal in her ruling. “Additionally. . .this does not necessarily mean that future requests for data would not occur in the interim . . .and while this motion has been pending, a massive data breach reportedly occurred that leaked personal identifying information from the firearm databases for concealed carry applicants in or about June of 2022. Accordingly, plaintiffs have shown that the balance of harms weighs in favor of issuing the injunction.”

“The California government has proven time and time again that it can’t be trusted with the private personal information of its residents,” said FPC Director of Legal Operations Bill Sack. “Today’s ruling reinforces what FPC has been arguing all along; that you needn’t be forced to open your front door to immoral government intrusion in order to exercise your fundamental rights.”

FPC is joined in this lawsuit by the Second Amendment Foundation, California Gun Rights Foundation, San Diego County Gun Owners PAC, Orange County Gun Owners PAC, and Inland Empire Gun Owners PAC.

Individuals who would like to Join the FPC Grassroots Army and support important pro-rights lawsuits and programs can sign up at JoinFPC.org. Individuals and organizations wanting to support charitable efforts in support of the restoration of Second Amendment and other natural rights can also make a tax-deductible donation to the FPC Action Foundation. For more on FPC’s lawsuits and other pro-Second Amendment initiatives, visit FPCLegal.org and follow FPC on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube.

Firearms Policy Coalition (firearmspolicy.org), a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization, exists to create a world of maximal human liberty, defend constitutional rights, advance individual liberty, and restore freedom. FPC’s efforts are focused on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and adjacent issues including freedom of speech, due process, unlawful searches and seizures, separation of powers, asset forfeitures, privacy, encryption, and limited government. The FPC team are next-generation advocates working to achieve the Organization’s strategic objectives through litigation, research, scholarly publications, amicus briefing, legislative and regulatory action, grassroots activism, education, outreach, and other programs.

FPC Law (FPCLaw.org) is the nation’s first and largest public interest legal team focused on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and the leader in the Second Amendment litigation and research space.

Vladimir rattles a saber?

Putin Moves Nuclear Bombers to NATO Border. Analysts fear buildup may be preparation to carry out tactical nuclear attack.

alrighty then..

NATO to kick off nuclear drills involving B-52 bombers on Monday.

BRUSSELS, Oct 14 (Reuters) – NATO said on Friday it would launch its annual nuclear exercise “Steadfast Noon” on Monday, with up to 60 aircraft taking part in training flights over Belgium, the North Sea and Britain to practise the use of U.S. nuclear bombs based in Europe.

The nuclear drills – which do not involve live bombs – are taking place amid heightened tensions after Russia repeatedly threatened nuclear strikes in Ukraine following major military setbacks on the battlefield there.

“Steadfast Noon” is likely to coincide with Moscow’s own annual nuclear drills, dubbed “Grom”, which are normally conducted in late October and in which Russia tests its nuclear-capable bombers, submarines and missiles.

NATO said the Western drills were not prompted by the latest tensions with Russia.

“The exercise, which runs until 30 October, is a routine, recurring training activity and it is not linked to any current world events,” the alliance declared on its webpage, adding that no live weapons would be used.

“This exercise helps ensure that the alliance’s nuclear deterrent remains safe, secure and effective,” said NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu.

Belgium is hosting the drills that will involve 14 countries and up to 60 aircraft, including the most advanced fighter jets on the market and U.S. B-52 long-range bombers that will fly in from Minot Air Base in North Dakota, the statement said.

On Tuesday, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg made clear that the alliance would proceed with its drills despite the tense international situation.

Cancelling the drills because of the war in Ukraine would send a “very wrong signal”, he told reporters, arguing that NATO’s military strength was the best way to prevent any further escalation of tensions.

Gulp: Retail sales flat in September — unadjusted for inflation.

That third-quarter GDP report coming in a couple of weeks looms over the midterms and the Biden administration, and the portents look gloomier and gloomier. Even with gasoline prices descending rapidly in the three-month period, economic activity appears to have declined with them — especially in retail sales.

Today’s monthly report shows a flat September for consumer activity, but that report misses one key element:

Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for September 2022, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $684.0 billion, virtually unchanged (±0.5 percent)* from the previous month, but 8.2 percent (±0.7 percent) above September 2021. Total sales for the July 2022 through September 2022 period were up 9.2 percent (±0.5 percent) from the same period a year ago. The July 2022 to August 2022 percent change was revised from up 0.3% (±0.5 percent)* to up 0.4 percent (±0.2 percent).

Retail trade sales were down 0.1 percent (±0.4 percent)* from August 2022, but up 7.8 percent (±0.7 percent) above last year. Gasoline stations were up 20.6 percent (±1.6 percent) from September 2021, while Nonstore retailers were up 11.6 percent (±1.1 percent) from last year.

So what’s missing? Inflation, as noted in the emphasis I added to the above excerpt. This report does not adjust for inflation, and so these numbers are not “real” in the sense used by economists. They are only seasonally adjusted, but the figures are nominal.

If year-on-year inflation runs at 8.2% and year-on-year retail sales increased by 8.2%, then it means that real retail sales were stagnant over that period. If CPI inflation went up 0.4% in September, according to yesterday’s report, and retail sales were flat in the same month, then it means that the same amount of money bought less goods and services.  Economic activity declined in September, in other words.

And given the unadjusted results of the other two months in the quarter, this looks like a possibly recessionary result overall:

That doesn’t look good, but there’s one positive note. They see nominal retail sales rising 9.2% in Q3 overall, which is at least above the current rate of inflation. However, CPI inflation in July was 8.5% and it was 8.3% in August. That suggests that the US economy eked out a positive gain in real retail activity, but not by much. If it’s positive, it will be a very weak result in Q3.

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Homeowner shoots at naked man accused of breaking into home, trying to steal cat

NEWTON COUNTY, Texas (KFDM) — A Texas man is in jail after investigators say a homeowner awakened to find the suspect naked inside his home and trying to steal his cat.

The homeowner fired a shot at the naked man, who was eventually caught by a deputy, according to Newton County Sheriff Robert Burby.

According to the sheriff, at about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, a homeowner contacted the Newton County Dispatch Center and stated that he woke up and found an unidentified naked man inside his house. He described the intruder as a white male that appeared to be young, possibly in his early twenties.

The homeowner further advised that the unidentified man tried to steal his cat and said he fired a shot at the man that grazed his right forearm.

The man ran from his home toward an old high school in Deweyville. Deputy Nash arrived on the scene and observed a naked man running toward CR 4156. Nash gave chase and took the man into custody.

The unidentified man was transported by EMS to a Beaumont hospital for treatment and was released into the custody of Newton County S.O. He is currently lodged in the Newton County Jail pending additional charges and arraignment.

Alright. so this was something personal and then the kid decides to go out in a blaze of hate.
Also, since no one is commenting on the gun used, we can be pretty confident, it’s not an AR, but a shotgun or rifle the kid stole from his parents.

Raleigh shooting suspect identified as younger brother of slain victim, law enforcement source says

The suspected gunman in Thursday’s deadly mass shooting in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been identified as the younger brother of one of the five people killed in the rampage, a law enforcement source confirmed to CBS News. The suspect, who was identified as a 15-year-old boy, is the brother of 16-year-old James Roger Thompson, CBS News’ Pat Milton reports.

CBS News is not naming the suspect due to his age.

Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson said the suspect is in critical condition. According to the law enforcement source, the suspect suffered an apparent self-inflicted wound.

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Another look at that serial number court ruling

Ban on guns with serial numbers removed is unconstitutional -U.S. judge

Oct 13 (Reuters) – A federal judge in West Virginia has ruled that a federal ban on possessing a gun with its serial number removed is unconstitutional, the first such ruling since the U.S. Supreme Court dramatically expanded gun rights in June.

U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin in Charleston on Wednesday found that the law was not consistent with the United States’ “historical tradition of firearm regulation,” the new standard laid out by the Supreme Court in its landmark ruling.

The decision came in a criminal case charging a man, Randy Price, with illegally possessing a gun with the serial number removed that was found in his car. The judge dismissed that charge, though Price is still charged with illegally possessing the gun after being convicted of previous felonies.

Price’s lawyer, Lex Coleman, called the decision “thoughtful, measured and accurate.” A spokesperson for the office of U.S. Attorney William Thompson in Charleston, which is prosecuting the case, said the office was “reviewing the ruling and assessing options.”

The federal law in question prohibits anyone from transporting a gun with the serial number removed across state lines, or from possessing such a gun if it has ever been transported across state lines.

Serial numbers, first required by the federal Gun Control Act of 1968, are intended to prevent illegal gun sales and make it easier to solve crimes by allowing individual guns to be traced.

Price argued that the law is unconstitutional in light of the Supreme Court’s June 24 ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc v. Bruen. That ruling held that under the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the government cannot restrict the right to possess firearms unless the restriction is consistent with historical tradition.

Bruen said serial numbers were not required when the Second Amendment was adopted in 1791, and were not widely used until 1968, putting them outside that tradition.

Even in Los Angeles………

U.S. Supreme Court aids gun rights yet again

The United States Supreme Court has no troops to enforce its rulings, but the justices are doing what they can to enforce their decision earlier this year in a major Second Amendment case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn., Inc., v. Bruen.

Last week the court took a dim view of a Massachusetts law that bars people convicted of gun-related misdemeanors from ever being allowed to buy a handgun again.

In Morin v. Lyver, the First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Massachusetts law using a two-step balancing test that the Supreme Court forcefully threw out in its New York State Rifle & Pistol decision. The Supreme Court has now vacated the First Circuit’s ruling and sent the case back down to be heard again under the high court’s new standard, which is based not on subjective judicial balancing tests, but on history.

This time Massachusetts will have to prove that its law barring some people from buying guns is similar to restrictions that have traditionally been viewed as consistent with the right to keep and bear arms.

Dr. Alfred Morin was arrested for carrying a gun without a permit while on a trip to Washington, D.C., in 2004. Morin was licensed to carry in Massachusetts and didn’t realize his permit was not valid in D.C. due to the city’s total ban on carrying a gun (later declared unconstitutional). He was arrested after he complied with a no-gun sign at a museum and tried to check his gun with security. He pleaded guilty to carrying a gun without a license and was sentenced to jail time, but never required to serve it.

That misdemeanor conviction now bars Morin from ever again obtaining a permit to buy a handgun. He sued the state, but the U.S. District Court found that the law was constitutional because Morin was not a “law-abiding citizen,” having been convicted of a gun-related misdemeanor warranting imprisonment. The Court of Appeals agreed with that reasoning.

However, under the Supreme Court’s new standard, it’s no longer enough for courts to find that the states have “an interest in preventing crime” and then determine if the law is “reasonably tailored” to meet those needs. The presumption now is that individuals have the right to keep and bear arms. States must prove that any laws restricting that right have traditionally been consistent with Second Amendment rights going all the way back to the early days of the Republic.

Morin v. Lyver is the fifth case the Supreme Court has vacated and sent back down for reconsideration under the new standard. One is a California case, a challenge to the state’s 10-round magazine limit. In addition, a Ninth Circuit en banc panel vacated a decision in McDougall v. Ventura County, involving a challenge to the closure of gun shops early in the COVID-19 pandemic. The case has been sent back to the trial court to be reconsidered in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling in the New York case.

This is an important course correction. The Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms is not a privilege that governments may arbitrarily withhold or revoke. A written constitution is the consent of the governed, and it places limits on government power. Enforcing those limits is the job of the Supreme Court. Freedom depends on it.

The Midterm Boogeyman of ‘Christian Nationalism’

The so-called Public Broadcasting Service is anything but a “service” to Republicans. Tune in any night of the week. As a whole, Republicans are extremists; Republicans are insurrectionists; and Republicans are terrible, racist, sexist Christians.

On Oct. 11, the “PBS NewsHour” warned all about the threat of right-wing “Christian nationalism” and what it means for the midterm elections. Anchor William Brangham reported, “A growing movement led by right-wing politicians is increasingly challenging a centuries-old value of America’s political system: the separation of church and state.”

PBS ran clips of Republicans Kari Lake, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Doug Mastriano, Dan Cox, and Ron DeSantis all speaking about drawing on their religion in public life or how, as Boebert said, “The church is supposed to direct the government. The government is not supposed to direct the church.”

Media liberals hate the idea that Republicans lean on religion for their political ideas. They are so aggressively for separating church and state that they almost think religious conservatives shouldn’t be allowed to vote, since they’re a threat to democracy — or at least to the Democrats.

The “NewsHour” found an agreeable expert for their secular feminist worldview. It was a professor of gender studies named Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of the book “Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation.”

Christians don’t corrupt a faith when the Rev. Raphael Warnock runs for office as a “pro-choice pastor,” or when politicians embrace a “religious left” that pushes amputations of breasts or penises as “gender-affirming care.”

According to Du Mez’s book, this macho John Wayne heresy means that conservative white evangelicals allegedly link the gospel to “patriarchal authority, gender difference, and Christian nationalism, and all of these are intertwined with white racial identity.”

On PBS, Du Mez offered the bizarre theory that conservative Christians shouldn’t feel embattled in today’s secular and “woke” culture, that they are somehow dominant in America. “Even though they are in the majority and even though they have a lot of cultural and political power, they will continue to insist that they are the ones who are embattled,” she said. “Therefore, what choice do they have but to be ruthless and seize power?”

PBS anchor Laura Barron-Lopez naturally turned to Jan. 6 to associate all conservative Christians with rioting: “We saw a lot of Christian imagery in the crowd on Jan. 6, when rioters stormed the Capitol, and faith being used to justify violence there.”

Du Mez briefly expressed that not all Christians supported violence at the Capitol. But then she gave PBS what it wanted. Yes, “more extreme versions of Christian nationalism, we do see a correlation between the idea that America has a special destiny, and it’s a destiny that’s under threat, and it must be protected. We see connections between that and a willingness to use violence.”

Barron-Lopez cited a University of Maryland poll that 61% of Republicans would favor an official declaration that the U.S. is a Christian nation, “but, also, a majority of Republicans understand that doing so would be unconstitutional.” One can cite Pew polls that 63% of Americans identify as Christians — a Christian nation — without canceling the religious freedoms in the First Amendment. A significant chunk of those self-identified Christians is not conservative at all.

But PBS and Du Mez are preaching to the liberal choir that the Christian right is a menace that is eroding democracy and pushing “voter suppression” somehow. There’s no conservative counterpoint to this midterm messaging on taxpayer-funded TV. That’s somehow not eroding democracy.