North Carolina’s lawmakers are playing a frustrating game of hot potato with constitutional carry, leaving gun rights advocates fuming as the session drags on without real progress. The latest buzz centers on bills like House Bill 5 and Senate Bill 49, which would finally allow law-abiding adults 21 and older to carry concealed handguns without the government’s permission slip—no more jumping through hoops for a permit that’s become increasingly redundant in 29 other states. Sources close to the action report that despite strong Republican majorities in the General Assembly and a pro-2A governor in the wings, procedural delays, amendments, and backroom haggling are stalling what should be a slam-dunk victory. It’s a classic case of establishment inertia clashing with the grassroots momentum that’s swept constitutional carry nationwide since 2010.

Digging deeper, this foot-dragging isn’t just bureaucratic sloth—it’s a symptom of the incrementalist mindset that’s long plagued the GOP. North Carolina already has shall-issue permitting with reciprocity across most states, but advocates argue that’s yesterday’s compromise in a post-Bruen world where the Supreme Court affirmed that the Second Amendment doesn’t come with a training course prerequisite. Remember South Carolina’s epic turnaround last year? They flipped from one of the strictest regimes to full constitutional carry after years of similar delays, proving that public pressure works. Here, groups like Grass Roots North Carolina are mobilizing thousands, flooding capitols with calls and packing committee hearings—yet leadership seems content to nibble around the edges rather than deliver the full loaf.

The implications for the 2A community are stark: if NC caves to the slow-walk, it emboldens anti-gun forces to chip away elsewhere, signaling that even red states won’t fully embrace bear rights without a fight. But this could be the spark that ignites a broader revolt—imagine unified boycotts of RINO donors or primary challenges that flip more seats to true believers. Patriots, it’s time to turn up the heat: email your reps today, join the next rally, and remind Raleigh that the right to self-defense isn’t negotiable. Constitutional carry isn’t a privilege; it’s the default setting of liberty, and North Carolina deserves to join the free states club—now.