Gun-violence prevention advocates packed the lawn outside the North Carolina General Assembly in Raleigh on Tuesday morning, urging lawmakers not to override Gov. Josh Stein's veto of Senate Bill 50. Survivors and local officials took turns at the microphone with blunt personal stories, warning that lowering the concealed-carry age and scrapping training requirements would put more people in harm's way.
Speakers at the rally included John Owens, who survived a 2005 shooting and warned, "It means more people like me will be shot," and Ahoskie Mayor Weyling White, who described losing a friend in 2007, according to ABC11. The event was organized by North Carolinians Against Gun Violence, Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action, Giffords and the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, the station reported.
What SB50 Would Change
Senate Bill 50, titled "Freedom to Carry NC," would allow U.S. citizens 18 and older to carry a concealed handgun without a concealed-handgun permit and would roll back the state's firearms-safety training requirement, per the North Carolina General Assembly. The bill would keep permits in place for reciprocity and make other statutory changes to disqualifying criteria and to the locations where firearms may legally be carried.
How an Override Would Play Out
Gov. Josh Stein vetoed SB50 on June 20, 2025, writing, "This bill makes North Carolinians less safe and undermines responsible gun ownership," in a statement from the governor's office. The Senate has signaled it can, and has moved to, overturn the veto, but the House would need a three-fifths majority - effectively all House Republicans plus one additional lawmaker - and analysts say the chamber currently falls short, according to The News & Observer.
Voices at the Rally
Supporters say the bill simply removes a government "permission slip" and lets law-abiding citizens carry without extra red tape; sponsor Sen. Eddie Settle has framed it as preserving Second Amendment rights, in remarks reported by ABC11. Opponents argue that cutting the age to 18 and dropping mandatory training would make communities and officers less safe, a concern punctuated by survivor testimony at the Capitol.
Political Math and What's Next
Lawmakers are returning to Raleigh for a short session that will include several veto-override opportunities, and recent primary defeats and party switches have injected fresh uncertainty into both the House arithmetic and the timing of any forced vote, coverage shows. For now, advocates are trying to keep pressure on holdout lawmakers while leadership weighs whether to bring an override to the floor, per The News & Observer.
