Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead is pulling out all the stops to block North Carolina from joining the ranks of 29 states with constitutional carry, whining that permitless carry makes our jobs more difficult – to put a gun in the hand of someone who’s not trained, who’s 18 years of age. This knee-jerk reaction from a North Carolina sheriff embodies the tired anti-2A playbook: sheriffs positioning themselves as gatekeepers of the Second Amendment, ignoring that the right to keep and bear arms isn’t contingent on government permission slips or mandatory training quotas. Birkhead’s county, a deep-blue enclave in a purple state, has long been a hotbed for gun control advocacy, and his public griping comes as HB 650 – a bill to enact permitless carry for those 18 and older – gains steam in the legislature. With the GOP holding veto-proof majorities in both chambers, this could make NC the 30th permitless state by year’s end, but expect urban sheriffs like Birkhead to flood airwaves with fearmongering to sway moderate voters.

Let’s dissect the sheriff’s logic: he implies 18-year-olds can’t be trusted with firearms without training, yet those same young adults can enlist in the military, vote, sign contracts, and – irony of ironies – carry concealed with a permit after jumping through hoops that often include the very training he demands. Data from permitless carry states like Texas, Florida, and Georgia obliterates his scare tactics: post-reform violent crime rates have plummeted or stabilized, with no spike in untrained mishaps. The FBI’s own stats show permitless systems reduce permitting bureaucracies that disproportionately burden law-abiding citizens while doing zilch to stop criminals who ignore laws anyway. Birkhead’s real beef? Losing revenue from $5 permit fees and the illusion of control – a classic case of sheriffs addicted to the power of shall-issue discretion.

For the 2A community, this is a frontline battle in the red-state solidification of constitutional carry. North Carolina’s tipping point could cascade into Virginia and other battlegrounds, eroding the may-issue stranglehold in blue pockets. Gun owners should rally behind HB 650 with calls, emails, and packed hearings – remind lawmakers that sheriffs serve the people, not vice versa. If NC flips, it’s another nail in the coffin for permission-to-exercise-rights regimes nationwide, proving once more that freedom expands when bureaucrats like Birkhead are told to stand down. Stay vigilant; the 30th state is within reach.