CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Right now, in North Carolina, you are legally allowed to leave a gun in your car in any condition. Loaded or unloaded, no law currently prohibits you from doing that.
However, there is a push for H.53 that could change that, forcing gun owners to safely store their firearms in their vehicles.
Car break-ins are rampant and provide an opportunity for criminals to get a hold of firearms. Lawmakers say the bill is about reducing the number of guns stolen from cars and ending up in the wrong hands.
“One of the things we commonly say in the industry is your vehicle is not your holster,” Neal Conner, Hyatt Gun Shop's General Manager, told WCNC Charlotte's Jesse Pierre.
Conner said leaving a gun in a car is not recommended -- but if it must be done, lock it up.
“[For] as low as $30, you can secure your investment, prevent crime and do all of this to protect the community,” Conner said.
On average, at least one gun is stolen from a car every nine minutes in the U.S. according to an analysis of FBI data by Everytown, a gun safety group.
Some lawmakers want to change this by making it illegal to leave a gun in a car unattended unless the car is locked and the gun is secured or safely stored.
NC Representative Marcia Morey said it comes down to public safety.
“I think this is just a very basic common sense safety measure,” Morey said. “Anyone that has a gun in a car, in a vehicle, in a truck ... [when] they get out of the truck or the car, they must have the gun safely stored.”
Morey said in many cases those stolen guns are used to commit crimes.
“We know and, especially in Charlotte, they're saying juvenile crime is going up ... and juveniles are getting their guns from unlocked cars and trucks,” said Morey. “Let's do something about it.”
The bill currently sits in the Rules Committee. Morey said supporters are doing what they can to get it onto the floor for a vote.
“We're just requiring people to be sensible to be responsible,” said Morey. “If they own a gun. We're not trying to take it, safely store it.”
Morey said they will keep filing this bill until it is passed.
It’s a law Conner said is not unreasonable.
“I would never want one of my firearms to end up at the scene of a crime and I think that responsibility starts with the individuals,” Conner said.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.