(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . North Carolina Open Thread: Veto of guns everywhere bill overruled, Robinson's eye roll challenger [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-02 WRAL, 3/30/2023 Gun violence is on the rise and this latest action by our legislators only escalates that sorry trajectory. North Carolina’s legislature on Wednesday made the state a more dangerous place to live. Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of the legislation doing away with sheriff-issued permits for the purchase of handguns should have been upheld. The votes were there. Democratic House Leader Robert Reives failed to make sure the votes he had were in place. It is stark contrast to Republican Speaker Tim Moore who DID have ALL his votes in place. Two Democratic legislators who would have made the difference -- Tricia Cotham of Mecklenburg County and Cecil Brockman of Guilford County – should have been present and voting. This wasn’t an issue for political deals and we hope it wasn’t the case here. Present and voting – when it all gets boiled down that is THE job of a legislator. “I was unable to attend the vote, which wouldn’t have changed the unfortunate outcome,” said Cotham, explaining her need to undergo a planned medical procedure, in a statement. How did she know her vote wouldn’t have made a difference? From the looks of things, we beg to differ. Every vote counts and in this case it isn’t a stretch to say her vote could have made a difference. Cast a vote and be on the record – that is what every legislator is elected to do. Brockman and Cotham’s constituents should hold them to account in the next election. Let’s review some of the facts. North Carolina Policy Watch, Lynn Bonner, 4/2/2023 Two days after a mass shooting at a Tennessee school, the North Carolina legislature loosened state gun laws by lifting the requirement for local sheriffs to approve pistol purchases as lawmakers completed the override of a bill Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed last week. The state House voted 71-46 Wednesday to override Cooper’s veto, following the Senate’s override vote Tuesday. In addition to repealing the pistol permit requirement, the law allows concealed permit holders to carry guns in schools that double as places of worship and launches a two-year firearm safe-storage campaign. The Senate 30-19 vote had all Republicans in favor and all Democrats opposed. All 71 House Republicans voted to override Cooper’s veto, and 46 Democrats – all those who voted – voted to uphold the veto. No votes were recorded for Democratic Reps. Cecil Brockman, Tricia Cotham, or Michael Wray. With those absences, Republicans had the needed votes – a three-fifths majority of those present and voting – to override. Facing South, Benjamin Barber, 3/30/2023 Leaders representing a coalition of more than a dozen research and advocacy organizations gathered outside the North Carolina legislature last month to unveil a report titled "Blueprint for a Stronger Democracy" offering policy proposals for creating a more representative and inclusive state government. The report was developed by North Carolina Voters for Clean Elections (NCVCE), a statewide nonpartisan pro-democracy coalition, and the Institute for Southern Studies (ISS), the Durham, North Carolina-based media, research, and education nonprofit that publishes Facing South. Other contributors were the Brennan Center for Justice, Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause North Carolina, Democracy North Carolina, Disability Rights North Carolina, Fix the Court, Forward Justice, League of Women Voters of North Carolina, North Carolina Asian Americans Together, North Carolina Black Alliance, North Carolina Budget and Tax Center, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, and Voters' Right to Know. "We are united in our belief that a new vision of democracy is urgently needed in the state," as ISS Executive Director Chris Kromm said in his remarks at the press conference. In a recent interview with NC Policy Watch, NCVCE director Melissa Price Kromm noted that "a lot of these ideas came from the public," with the report serving to deliver those ideas directly to lawmakers. BlueNC, James, 3/29/2023 It looks like Mark Robinson will have to fend off a primary challenge for governor from NC's current state treasurer. Should be interesting. For starters, the race will give us a glimpse into the dark heart of the NCGOP. Are they all batshit crazy? Does Folwell agree with Robinson that women should be subservient to men? Or could it simply be the case that establishment Republicans are okay with a token black bigot as lieutenant governor, but not as top dog? In any case, Folwell's off to a shaky start. "Voters like candidates who attack problems, not people,” Folwell said during prepared remarks. Folwell said comments like that weren't intended to target Robinson, or any other specific politician. Robinson's spokesperson didn't respond to a request for comment. The truth is, Republican voters actually LOVE people who attack people. That's why Robinson got elected in the first place. The GOP is lousy with divisive haters ... which is exactly who their primary voters are. Submitted by James on Tue, 03/28/2023 Folwell’s announcement over the weekend caused immediate ripples in state politics. Mecklenburg County Rep. John Bradford, the only remaining Republican to represent the Charlotte area in the legislature, quickly announced he's strongly considering a run for treasurer next year, to replace Folwell. Another prominent Republican lawmaker lamented what he sees as an all-but-guaranteed loss for Folwell, if Robinson also gets into the race. Thank you for reading and contributing, I hope your weekend is safe. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/2/2161674/-North-Carolina-Open-Thread-Veto-of-guns-everywhere-bill-overruled-Robinson-s-eye-roll-challenger Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/