Press release from Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office:
All state laws regarding the issuance of pistol purchase permits by Sheriffs in North Carolina were repealed on March 29 following a vote by the General Assembly on Senate Bill 41. Effective immediately, pistol purchase permits are no longer being issued by Sheriffs in North Carolina.
It is important to understand that North Carolina concealed handgun laws have NOT changed. Any person residing in Buncombe County wishing to carry a concealed handgun in North Carolina must still apply for and be issued a concealed handgun permit by the Sheriff.
The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office is no longer processing pistol purchase permit applications, including pending applications. This means any person who wants to purchase or transfer a handgun in North Carolina no longer has to apply to the Sheriff for a pistol purchase permit.
However, any person who wants to purchase a handgun through a firearms dealer will still undergo a background check as required under the current law. For private transfers of handguns, while no National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) criminal background check is required under current law prior to making a private transfer, criminal penalties still apply to any person that knowingly transfers a handgun to a person who may not lawfully possess the firearm.
Therefore, it is important for citizens to remember that anyone wishing to obtain or transfer any firearm, including a handgun, must still comply with Federal and State laws governing who may lawfully possess a firearm.
A Buncombe County criminal background check may be obtained at the Buncombe County Clerk of Superior Court’s Office for a $25 fee.
The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to the hard-working staff at the Buncombe County Bureau of ID. During 2002, they handled and processed more than 2,700 pistol permit applications.
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