Topsail Gun Gal October 2025

Fun with Facts in simple terms:

Did you know in North Carolina you cannot get an NC Conceal Carry permit (CCP) if you:

a) have a felony or imprisoned for more than a year

b) been convicted of domestic violence (assault on a female)

c) renounced your citizenship

d) been dishonorably discharged from the military

e) been adjudicated mentally defective

f) are a fugitive from justice (my favorite)

g) addicted to drugs or any controlled substance

h) are an illegal alien unlawfully in the United States

i) are subject of a restraining order

Of course, the requirements go into more detail, but you get the idea.

I have had people contact me and ask, since they were convicted of armed robbery, can they still get a conceal carry permit. Ummmm no.

The law has recently changed regarding DWI's (or DUI's) where you are prohibited from getting a CCP for three years reduced from 5 years.

Many people think that since Purchase Permits are no longer required in North Carolina that a Conceal Carry permit has no value. That is not true. We are not a Constitutional Carry State (yet) and until that happens, a person must have a CCP to carry concealed. We are an open carry state, which allows a person 18 years of age or older and legally allowed to own a firearm to carry open, unless otherwise posted. A CCP is also good for purchasing firearms since no additional background check needs to be done.

How do you get a NC Conceal Carry Permit? Not on the internet, that's for sure. North Carolina requires an 8 hour class that includes shooting a firearm and taking an exam. Once you have completed the course and passed the exam, you make an appointment at your local Sheriff's office and they will fingerprint you and send off you information. If your background check is good, you will receive your CCP permit in the mail, usually 4-6 weeks later. Do yourself a favor and get that thing laminated!

In case you couldn't guess, myself, my husband and both of my children are proud holders of North Carolina Conceal Carry permits.

My father, a veteran of World War II, told me something one day that made perfect sense. He said that when a soldier was being sent home, they were put on a ship, which may have taken weeks to return to the USA. During that time soldiers had time to grieve, get angry, talk to others about what they had been through, and time to decompress. He said PTSD certainly existed back then, but it wasn’t the same.

A concern that we discussed, usually after a news report of an act of violence involving a service member, current or former, was that these soldiers were in the heat of battle one day and sent home and could be sitting on a couch watching football a few days later. No time for healthy decompression.

I know people that have made the military their entire lives, and the day they retire things start going south. They don’t have the structure anymore. They feel disconnected from the world they know.

I don’t know anything about the two men this past week that committed such acts of violence as shooting into a group on a dock at a social gathering or violating the sanctuary of a church and setting it on fire. I don’t know what they went through, what help, if any, they had received. I don’t know if somehow the system failed them and why the citizens had to pay the price. I wish I had answers. I wish I had explanations, but I don’t. My only fear is that perhaps we are asking too much and not giving back enough.

Remember knowledge is power, we need to work toward restoring compassion, which seemed to disappear after Covid, and getting a Conceal Carry Permit is still a good thing. I would also like to wish my father a happy 101st birthday in Heaven. Your knowledge was the greatest gift, and I miss you every day.