A Republican lawmaker in North Carolina is proposing an amendment to the state's constitution allowing residents to carry concealed weapons, in an effort to block federal "tyranny."
State Rep. Larry Pittman (R-Concord) said at a gun rights rally in Raleigh Tuesday that he wanted the North Carolina Constitution to provide more gun rights, wral.com reported. Central to his proposal is the concealed-carry amendment, along with legislation he plans to introduce that would allow teachers to carry guns. The amendment would block concealed guns from schools, courthouses, federal buildings and buildings prohibiting guns, which Pittman said he included to help gain passage.
Wral.com reported that Pittman told the crowd that he wanted to fight President Barack Obama's gun control proposals:
"I hope and pray that never happens, that we never actually have to fight the government for our freedom," Pittman said. "But if we do, if they're going to be coming at us with fully automatic weapons, we ought to at least have semiautomatic weapons to respond. I want you to have the ability to deter those who wold impose tyranny upon you."
Pittman is the latest nationally in a line of Republican state lawmakers -- along with four Democratic legislators in Kansas -- to propose a series of sweeping gun freedom measures. Last week, the Republican-controlled Wyoming House of Representatives passed the nation's first measure to implement a state ban on federal gun bans. The Wyoming legislation, which has been replicated in other states, sets up a potential court battle with federal officials regarding the constitutionality of a state ban to overturn federal bans.
Mississippi lawmakers have proposed a state legislative committee that would have the power to block federal laws in Mississippi. More than 50 Kansas legislators have proposed a sweeping bill to prohibit enforcement of federal gun laws on guns made in the state and to prohibit doctors in the state from asking about gun ownership. A similar ban in Florida was overturned by a federal judge on freedom of speech grounds.
In Oklahoma, state Rep. Mark McCullough (R-Sapulpa) introduced a bill to cross-train teachers as reserve police officers so they can carry guns and provide security in the school.
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