Transylvania County Sheriff's Department NC CCH/Fingerprints

Permitium Software

Email:  help@permitium.com

Phone:  (855) 642-2453

Storage of firearms to protect minors

(a) Any person who resides in the same premises as a minor, owns or  possesses a firearm, and stores or leaves the firearm (i) in a condition  that the firearm can be discharged and (ii) in a manner that the person  knew or should have known that an unsupervised minor would be able to  gain access to the firearm, is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor if a  minor gains access to the firearm without the lawful permission of the  minor's parents or a person having charge of the minor and the minor:

1. Possesses it in violation of G.S. § 14-269.2(b);
2. Exhibits it in a public place in a careless, angry, or threatening manner;
3. Causes personal injury or death with it, not in self-defense; or
4. Uses it in the commission of a crime.

(b) Nothing in this section shall prohibit a person from carrying a  firearm on his or her body, or placed in such close proximity that it can be used as easily and quickly as if carried on the body.

(c) This section shall not apply if the minor obtained the firearm as a result of an unlawful entry by any person.

(d) "Minor" as used in this section means a person under 18 years of age who is not emancipated. (1993, c. 558, s. 2; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 14,  s. 11.)

GUN SAFETY TIPS FOR PARENTS

• If you keep a handgun in your home, always keep it unloaded and locked up!
• Always lock and store bullets separately from your gun. Young children can figure out how to load a gun.
• Keep a gun lock on your gun after it is unloaded. [Gun locks are excellent devices when used in combination with other safety habits. Gun  locks can provide a false sense of security. All it takes is forgetting to lock a gun just one time. Or leaving the key where a child can find it. Always be diligent when using a gun lock. Always double-check to make sure that it is locked at all times.
• Make sure children don't have access to the keys to gun locks and gun and ammunition storage areas.
• Even if you don't own a gun, talk with your children about the danger of guns and what to do if they find one while playing or at a  friend's house.
• Explain to your children that guns are dangerous and that they should never touch them.