On Friday, Democratic Governor Josh Stein of North Carolina vetoed his first measures, thereby thwarting Republican legislation that would have made state agencies and local sheriffs more involved in the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration and would have allowed adults to carry concealed pistols without a permit.
Last week, Stein, who assumed office in January, formally opposed three bills supported by the Republican-controlled General Assembly. In addition, the ex-attorney general could have signed any of the bills into law or allowed them to become law without his intervention.
Returning to the legislature, the vetoed legislation will now face another hurdle: Republicans are only one seat short of achieving a veto-proof majority in the House. The decision to try overrides might be made by its leaders as soon as next week.
So far, votes on one immigration issue have been along party lines. This initiative would call for cooperation between the State Bureau of Investigations and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as the State Highway Patrol. The alternative immigration measure that Stein rejected did, however, receive the support of one House Democrat. This statute makes it more difficult for sheriffs to assist federal officials in their pursuit of criminal offenders, as mandated by a law passed in 2024.
A long-sought goal of gun-rights proponents, the permitless concealed carry proposal, seems to be in jeopardy due to the fact that two House Republicans voted against it and ten others were not present.
Gun control legislation would legalize concealed handgun carry by individuals as young as 18 years old.
Stein said in a veto statement that the bill would “makes North Carolinians less safe and undermines responsible gun ownership.” The bill would have made it legal for anyone to carry concealed handguns if they were at least 18 years old. Legislators from the Democratic Party made similar arguments.
The minimum age to apply for a concealed weapons permit is 21 years old according to current legislation. The applicant must not “suffer from a physical or mental infirmity that prevents the safe handling of a handgun,” complete a firearms safety training course, and submit an application to the local sheriff in order to acquire the permit. Once the need for a permit is eliminated, safety training becomes unnecessary.
Stein expressed concern about the dangers of allowing teens to carry concealed weapons without any training.
Pro-gun activists were ecstatic over the veto.
Supporters of the measure, who lean conservative, argue that repealing the need for permits will make communities safer for law-abiding residents.
To properly exercise their Second Amendment rights, law-abiding North Carolinians shouldn’t have to jump through hoops, stated Senate leader Phil Berger in a news statement condemning the veto and arranging for an override vote in his chamber.
As per the National Conference of State Legislatures, permitless carry is now legal in 29 states. Among the Southeast states that would be slow to adopt such a law, North Carolina would be among the last.
Governors’ offices, sheriffs’ departments, and immigration measures
The 287(g) program teaches police to question detainees and ascertain their immigration status. A rejected immigration measure would have required four state law enforcement agencies to formally engage in the program. The Trump administration was directed to make the most of 287(g) agreements in an executive order signed by the president.
On Friday, Stein said that the bill would further burden law enforcement by diverting resources away from their current responsibilities. Not only that, but the bill would mandate that state agencies block noncitizens from receiving specific services that the state pays for. Someone without legal immigration status cannot get them, according to Stein.
The other bill that was vetoed seeks to broaden a statute that was passed in 2024—over the veto of then-Democratic Governor Roy Cooper—that ordered prisons to temporarily hold certain convicts whom ICE suspects are in the nation illegally, giving immigration officials time to apprehend them.
The rejected measure would have broadened the types of offenses that would necessitate the investigation of a defendant’s immigration status by the prison administration. Additionally, the time it takes for ICE officers to collect a detainee would be extended if the jail swiftly notified them that they are holding the individual.
According to Stein, the law is unconstitutional because it orders sheriffs to retain defendants in custody for an extra 48 hours after they would otherwise be eligible for release for a suspected immigration violation. Nevertheless, Stein does not oppose sheriffs contacting federal immigration agents regarding defendants charged with dangerous crimes who are holding them.
According to House Speaker Destin Hall, Stein’s decision to veto this bill shows that he prioritizes the needs of his party’s extreme members over the well-being of North Carolinians.
Stein was pressured by Latino groups and others who opposed the bills to reject the two immigration initiatives. Their argument is that the measure would make Hispanic people afraid of the police.
The vetoes by Stein “ensure North Carolina remains a safe state for everyone, including immigrants, who deserve equal treatment under the law,” according to a news release from El Pueblo.