Bill expanding concealed carry rights in churches clears NC Senate

The North Carolina Senate backed a bill Monday night that would let churches that also host schools allow concealed weapons in their buildings when school is not in session.

Senate Bill 43 passed the chamber 31-18, and it heads now to the House for more discussion.

Guns are already allowed in houses of worship, provided church, temple, mosque, etc., leadership allow them. But current law forbids guns on school campuses, bill sponsors said, and religious campuses that have their own private schools qualify as school campuses.

Some pastors, and a number of Republican legislators, have been pushing to change that for years. Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a broader gun bill last year that included the change.

Gun bills are often a partisan issue in the General Assembly, but this measure had some bipartisan support. Sens. Sarah Crawford, D-Wake, Don Davis, D-Pitt, and Kirk deViere, D-Cumberland, voted in favor of the bill.

The bill sparked no debate Monday night on the Senate floor.