Despite Polling Showing Wide Opposition, Senators Pass House Bill 1169, Which Would Allow Dangerous People and People with No Firearms Safety Training to Carry Hidden, Loaded Handguns Throughout North Dakota
Bill Now Heads to the Governor’s Desk
BISMARCK, N.D. — The North Dakota chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today released the following statement after the North Dakota Senate passed House Bill 1169, a permitless carry bill that would allow people with histories of unlawful violence and people with no firearms safety training to carry hidden, loaded handguns throughout North Dakota. The bill now moves to Gov. Burgum’s desk.
Like the vast majority of states, North Dakota requires a person to have a permit in order to carry a concealed handgun in public. Obtaining a permit requires handgun safety training and a criminal background check – reasonable measures designed to preserve core public safety standards and prevent dangerous people from carrying hidden, loaded handguns in public places. HB 1169 would end this permit requirement.
Polling released last week showed 85 percent of North Dakotans – including 78 percent of gun owners, 80 percent of Republicans and 90 percent of Democrats – support the state’s permit requirement.
More information on HB 1169 is available here.
STATEMENT FROM CATHY LEE, VOLUNTEER WITH THE NORTH DAKOTA CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:
“If this bill becomes law, it will take away our reasonable permit requirement, letting violent people and people with no safety training carry hidden, loaded handguns in our streets. The vast majority of us, including more than three in four North Dakota gun owners, recognize that our permit requirement makes sense, and I hope the governor will veto this dangerous bill so that requirement stays in place.”