CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Gun control is a big topic across the country in the aftermath of the Uvalde school shooting, with many WCNC Charlotte viewers asking questions about North Carolina's gun laws.
WCNC Charlotte's VERIFY team has received multiple questions about the laws on the books in North Carolina and possible changes following the Uvalde tragedy.
One of the more popular topics was North Carolina's open carry law, which allows citizens to carry pistols openly in a holster without a concealed carry permit.
THE CLAIM
"I live in a retirement home which is part of a national chain, I was told recently that due to North Carolina's open carry law, this facility could not bar anyone with a gun in a holster from entering? Is this true?" - Viewer John S.
OUR SOURCES
THE ANSWER
This is false, North Carolina's open carry does not require private property owners to allow guns on the premise.
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WHAT WE FOUND
Open carry is legal in North Carolina without a permit if you legally own a firearm. However, that doesn't mean you can take a weapon anywhere you want, even if you do have a concealed carry permit. A North Carolina statute states "a permit does not authorize a person to carry a concealed handgun into a place that prohibits them."
Owners of private property can restrict guns simply by putting a sign on their doors saying no guns are allowed. Mauney said as long as the private property owner says no guns are allowed, you can't bring one onto the property.
"You don't have to let someone come into your home with a gun if you don't want to," Mauney said. "You're a private property owner. There are rights that you have as a property owner, a nursing home assisted living center, anything that is privately owned can prohibit a handgun from being on the premises and can prohibit someone with a handgun from coming in."
Mauney said there is no law stating guns need to be allowed on private property in North Carolina.
"There is no North Carolina law that says you have to let someone onto your private property with a handgun even if it's an open carry a handgun and that you don't have any choice in the matter they do have a choice in the matter," Mauney said.
Mauney said if a national chain requires their locations to allow guns inside, that's a corporate decision rather than a legal one.
"The law for them would be whatever their contract says it is, so if the contract says you have to obey what the national contract says, then they are going to have to probably do that," he said.
Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
VERIFY is dedicated to helping the public distinguish between true and false information. The VERIFY team, with help from questions submitted by the audience, tracks the spread of stories or claims that need clarification or correction. Have something you want VERIFIED? Text us at 704-329-3600 or visit VERIFY.