CHARLOTTE — With one less step in the process to buy handguns in North Carolina, gun shops are struggling to keep up with demand.
Channel 9 first reported last week that people in North Carolina who want to buy handguns no longer need to get a permit from a sheriff.
Reporter Anthony Kustura visited a west Charlotte gun shop Monday to see how the new law has affected business already.
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The doors weren’t even open yet, but people were already lined up at Hyatt Gun Shop on Wilkinson Boulevard when Kustura arrived. Owner Larry Hyatt said it’s a trend that hasn’t slowed down.
He showed Kustura the stack of paperwork he has just from Saturday’s gun sales alone.
“We had a line out the door, we have pent-up demand,” Hyatt said.
He said the boom in business is in response to North Carolina lawmakers scrapping the permit requirement to buy pistols in the state. The law took effect immediately.
Before, you couldn’t buy a handgun without first getting a permit from the sheriff’s office. But the law wiped out the backlog for hundreds of people in Mecklenburg County who were waiting for pistol permits -- some of them waiting for months. Those included Mike Davis.
“I just purchased four permits and I paid online, but the law just passed so I came to find something else,” Davis said.
People who purchase pistols from a gun store like Hyatt’s are still subject to a national background check, and concealed weapons permits are still required.
Signs saying an FBI background check is still required for all firearm purchases are posted all over Hyatt’s gun store. Those background checks look for criminal records, mental health issues, and protective order information.
While some opponents say the law will allow dangerous people to get guns, Hyatt believes the background checks are stronger than ever.
“If you have something on your record, you will be denied,” he said.
Although his shop is busy now, Hyatt believes the rush will eventually slow down in a few weeks.
The permits are just one part of the new law. Senate Bill 41 also requires the state department of public safety to launch a two-year awareness campaign to promote safe gun storage.
(WATCH BELOW: Permit requirement to buy pistol scrapped in North Carolina)
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