Richard Hudson

Rep. Richard Hudson has introduced bills, including the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, that expand gun access but is that what NC needs?

North Carolina's legislature has considered loosening concealed carry laws and prevents local governments from enacting their own firearm regulations.

The author suggests several gun control measures, such as repealing open carry laws, raising the minimum age for ownership, and expanding background checks.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the firearm industry’ trade association, last year welcomed U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson’s (R-N.C.) introduction of the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025, H.R. 38. The firearms lobby loves Rep. Hudson; H.R. 38 was listed as the National Rifle Association’s “top priority.”

Also last year, Hudson introduced HR 850, to treat firearm silencers as mere accessories.

None of this comes as a surprise.

For better or worse, Hudson, whose 9th Congressional District includes part of Cumberland County, has been a gun rights supporter for a long time. Back in 2017, Hudson sponsored a bill that would allow concealed-carry permit holders to legally travel with those firearms to other states. It was again an NRA top priority.

The NRA and conservative politicians like Hudson that support them have always believed that the more guns we have, the safer we are. But does having more guns and looser regulation like the bill Hudson supports make us safer?

More guns haven’t made America safer

Because the gun lobby does not want it known, exact figures on guns ownership are difficult, but there are sources. Per the linked study, there are 513 million guns in the U.S., compared to the 86 million in the country in 1968. So, the number of guns in the US has increased dramatically over the years. Have gun deaths gone down?

The USA grew from 200 million to 341 million between 1968 and 2023, 71%. In 2023, there were 46,728 gun-related deaths in America. There were 20,336 in 1968. That is an increase of 130%, nearly twice the rate of our population growth.

The bottom line is that the “gun death” problem has gotten much worse, despite having more firearms. These deaths were most heavily concentrated in Southern states like North Carolina, all of which have looser arms control than many other states.

Arms are even being found in North Carolina’s public schools, brought in by students. And it is not a rarity; it happens all the time. Plus, there are adults also are bringing guns into the state’s schools.

Gun violence follows lax laws, including here in North Carolina

Regardless of our politics, all reasonable North Carolina residents know that this situation is unacceptable. The area where we may differ is enacting solutions to the problem.

North Carolina is going backward, with its heavily gerrymandered legislature attempting to loosen concealed carry laws, with Senate Bill 50. The Republican-led Senate overrode the veto of Democratic Gov. Josh Stein last year. The state House of Representatives has rescheduled its veto override votes several times; we will see what happens.

Meanwhile, the NC legislature prohibits local governments, run by more enlightened politicians, from enacting their own laws restricting arms.

Per North Carolina General Statutes section 14-409.40(a), which states: “It is declared by the General Assembly that the regulation of firearms is properly an issue of general, statewide concern, and that the entire field of regulation of firearms is preempted from regulation by local governments.” Apparently, state legislators do not believe that our local city and county officials know what is best for their residents.

State and federal leaders like Richard Hudson are weakening safeguards

The national situation is also getting worse, and it is not just Richard Hudson. Supported by the NRA, our highly politicized U.S. Department of Justice recently issued an opinion — an an opinion it is, strangely devoid of strong legal argument —indicating that prohibiting the mailing of concealable firearms is unconstitutional.

Actions such as these will only make the situation worse. As we have seen for decades, loosening gun control measures results in more firearms deaths.

So, what have other more enlightened states and nations done to lessen the number of firearms injuries?

Here are the more obvious actions that could and should be taken.

a. Repeal any state open carry legislation;

b. raise firearms/ammunition taxes to pay for increased gun control measures;

c. enact and aggressively enforce “red flag” laws to remove guns from criminals and the mentally unbalanced;

d. raise the minimum age for ownership, prohibiting teens from owning guns;

e. abolish unregulated gun show sales;

f. eliminate buying guns through the mail; and

g. expand background checks.

The firearm deaths in North Carolina and our nation just increase from decade to decade. The situation will only change when we elect state and national legislators who endorse and aggressively pursue gun control.

Jack Bernard is the former director of Health Planning for Georgia and a retired high-level executive with a healthcare corporation. He was one of the founders of Premier, Inc. in Charlotte. He is a widely published health reform columnist.