by Mandy Brame Marxen
I come from guns. I grew up with a dad who would come home from work everyday, remove his shoulder holster, wrap the straps around his revolver, and place it on the table in the living room. It was the same table that also collected keys and the mail. I didn't think twice about it. He wore if for protection when entering and exiting his job. He was a banker who was the first one in and the last one out. He knew he would be a good target for robbers. And yes, he was held up one time. And no, the young man did not get a thing from him.
He has also been an avid hunter his whole life. Waterfowl, dove, quail, and pheasant. He served as the NC Wildlife Commissioner under Jim Hunt for many years, understanding the importance of hunting to the health of animal and avian communities. While he was never a deer hunter himself, he knew that hunting would be the only thing that would lessen the explosive growth and rampant disease of the population.
My brother is an excellent hunter and manages a wildlife refuge where they manage annual deer hunts. I married a man who loves modifying handguns and target shooting. Even my teenaged daughter goes to the range with him. As a child of the 80s, in middle school PE/health class, we took a wildlife course with the opportunity to choose between learning about using the bow or shotguns. I chose the latter.
I am not afraid of guns.
But being around guns and feeling safe with anyone who can buy a gun to carry them around concealed - as NC Bill 50 is trying to do - is an entirely different animal. Wilkes County's state Senator, Eddie Settle, co-sponsored the bill and wants to eliminate the need for even the barest of requirements.
My husband was in his concealed carry class to get his permit. There were people in there who had never taken their gun out of the box. A judge in the class waved his gun around without any idea of proper safety protocols (NEVER point a gun anywhere you wouldn't want to shoot). One student DROPPED their gun and was fortunate it didn't fire. My spouse was stunned at how little training or education many participants had before deciding to carry a gun on their person or in their vehicle. Some had never fired a gun before that morning. At the end of the class, each one was given a certificate and sent on their way. All they had left to do was to get the final sign off from the Sheriff.
Let's talk about revenue elimination. Concealed carry permit fees in North Carolina are a source of revenue for both the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and local Sheriffs' offices. The SBI receives $45 for initial permit applications and $40 for renewals. Local Sheriff's Offices retain the remaining portion of the fee, which is $35 for both new permits and renewals.
Ya wanna back the blue? Then keep the concealed carry permitting requirements. Based on FY 2023-24 data, NC Sheriffs' offices likely generated around $5.5 million in total concealed carry permit fee revenues. The SBI, in FY 2019-20, received over $3.1 million from new permit applications and over $2.6 million from permit renewals. Overall, NC State Revenue, in FY 2019-20, generated from new permits over $5.5 million, and from renewed permits was over $5 million. The total revenue for both new and renewed permits was over $10.5 million.
To read about how much revenue the local and state organizations stand to lose through this bill, visit
https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2025/FiscalNotes/Senate/PDF/SFN118v1.pdf
According to some research, states that abandoned strong concealed carry permitting systems—including those with live firearm training requirements—for permitless carry between 1981 and 2019 saw an average 32 percent increase in gun assaults. I've read some studies by gun lobby groups that say otherwise. Road rage incidents and guns on private property are a rising threat. Permitless carry makes it difficult for officers to identify who is a credible threat in situations, leading to increased violence and additional dangers to police and vulnerable communities.
My point is that the barriers to entry for concealed carry are already very slim. Shockingly slim. Horrifyingly slim. Why would we want to eliminate even that when many law enforcement officers and officials are against it? Why would we want to eliminate it when our state and local law enforcement benefit from it. Yes, a certain subset will always carry concealed no matter what, license or no. But why should we encourage anyone who can own a gun to carry one?
So why are legislators doing this? Who is profiting off of this? Not the gun shops, not law enforcement...could it be the legislators themselves? The gun lobby has been backing Eddie Settle for years. Some of us remember his grandstanding in 2020 in a county commissioners meeting where he declared Wilkes "A 2nd Amendment Constitutional Rights Protection County." It meant literally nothing from a governmental rule, other than he got to hear the sound of his own voice. He still does.
At the end of the day, taking a class and shooting a target is very different than firing during an attack. Knowing that everyone at your job has a gun in their purse, desk, or vehicle does not make anyone "safer" when a disgruntled employee furiously leaves especially if they also have a gun at their fingertips. I believe in the right to own a gun. It's a personal choice, and the reasons for doing so vary widely. But that does not mean I trust everyone to carry a gun in every area of daily life without the barest of training.
I've always believed the more you know about guns, the more you respect them and the damage they can cause. Apparently, in Eddie Settles case, the more he knows about the gun lobby, the more damage he can cause. Write your legislators. Tell them to not show up on voting day for Bill 50. Catch a cold. Catch your grandchild's soccer match. Take an unneeded vacation. Let Governor Stein's veto stand.
He has also been an avid hunter his whole life. Waterfowl, dove, quail, and pheasant. He served as the NC Wildlife Commissioner under Jim Hunt for many years, understanding the importance of hunting to the health of animal and avian communities. While he was never a deer hunter himself, he knew that hunting would be the only thing that would lessen the explosive growth and rampant disease of the population.
My brother is an excellent hunter and manages a wildlife refuge where they manage annual deer hunts. I married a man who loves modifying handguns and target shooting. Even my teenaged daughter goes to the range with him. As a child of the 80s, in middle school PE/health class, we took a wildlife course with the opportunity to choose between learning about using the bow or shotguns. I chose the latter.
I am not afraid of guns.
But being around guns and feeling safe with anyone who can buy a gun to carry them around concealed - as NC Bill 50 is trying to do - is an entirely different animal. Wilkes County's state Senator, Eddie Settle, co-sponsored the bill and wants to eliminate the need for even the barest of requirements.
My husband was in his concealed carry class to get his permit. There were people in there who had never taken their gun out of the box. A judge in the class waved his gun around without any idea of proper safety protocols (NEVER point a gun anywhere you wouldn't want to shoot). One student DROPPED their gun and was fortunate it didn't fire. My spouse was stunned at how little training or education many participants had before deciding to carry a gun on their person or in their vehicle. Some had never fired a gun before that morning. At the end of the class, each one was given a certificate and sent on their way. All they had left to do was to get the final sign off from the Sheriff.
Let's talk about revenue elimination. Concealed carry permit fees in North Carolina are a source of revenue for both the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and local Sheriffs' offices. The SBI receives $45 for initial permit applications and $40 for renewals. Local Sheriff's Offices retain the remaining portion of the fee, which is $35 for both new permits and renewals.
Ya wanna back the blue? Then keep the concealed carry permitting requirements. Based on FY 2023-24 data, NC Sheriffs' offices likely generated around $5.5 million in total concealed carry permit fee revenues. The SBI, in FY 2019-20, received over $3.1 million from new permit applications and over $2.6 million from permit renewals. Overall, NC State Revenue, in FY 2019-20, generated from new permits over $5.5 million, and from renewed permits was over $5 million. The total revenue for both new and renewed permits was over $10.5 million.
To read about how much revenue the local and state organizations stand to lose through this bill, visit
https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2025/FiscalNotes/Senate/PDF/SFN118v1.pdf
According to some research, states that abandoned strong concealed carry permitting systems—including those with live firearm training requirements—for permitless carry between 1981 and 2019 saw an average 32 percent increase in gun assaults. I've read some studies by gun lobby groups that say otherwise. Road rage incidents and guns on private property are a rising threat. Permitless carry makes it difficult for officers to identify who is a credible threat in situations, leading to increased violence and additional dangers to police and vulnerable communities.
My point is that the barriers to entry for concealed carry are already very slim. Shockingly slim. Horrifyingly slim. Why would we want to eliminate even that when many law enforcement officers and officials are against it? Why would we want to eliminate it when our state and local law enforcement benefit from it. Yes, a certain subset will always carry concealed no matter what, license or no. But why should we encourage anyone who can own a gun to carry one?
So why are legislators doing this? Who is profiting off of this? Not the gun shops, not law enforcement...could it be the legislators themselves? The gun lobby has been backing Eddie Settle for years. Some of us remember his grandstanding in 2020 in a county commissioners meeting where he declared Wilkes "A 2nd Amendment Constitutional Rights Protection County." It meant literally nothing from a governmental rule, other than he got to hear the sound of his own voice. He still does.
At the end of the day, taking a class and shooting a target is very different than firing during an attack. Knowing that everyone at your job has a gun in their purse, desk, or vehicle does not make anyone "safer" when a disgruntled employee furiously leaves especially if they also have a gun at their fingertips. I believe in the right to own a gun. It's a personal choice, and the reasons for doing so vary widely. But that does not mean I trust everyone to carry a gun in every area of daily life without the barest of training.
I've always believed the more you know about guns, the more you respect them and the damage they can cause. Apparently, in Eddie Settles case, the more he knows about the gun lobby, the more damage he can cause. Write your legislators. Tell them to not show up on voting day for Bill 50. Catch a cold. Catch your grandchild's soccer match. Take an unneeded vacation. Let Governor Stein's veto stand.