On Monday, the House voted for bills that would regulate the sale of crack pipes and increase the penalty for scraping the serial number off a gun.

HB 722: Requires that cigar splitters and glass tubes be sold behind the counter. The tubes, sold with novelty roses inside or as pens, are easily converted to crack pipes. Cigar splitters make it easy to remove the tobacco from a cigar which could then be filled with marijuana. 

The bill would require anyone buying a glass rose to provide a name, address, signature and photo ID.

HB 787: Makes it a felony to remove or alter the serial number on a firearm. Currently, scratching off a serial number is a misdemeanor. The harsher penalty would also apply to possessing a firearm with an altered serial number.

A House bill would attempt to curb sales of drug paraphernalia.

The bill would require anyone buying a short glass vial often used to smoke crack to provide a name, address, signature and photo ID.

"You walk in these stores, and it kind of slaps you in the face," said Rep. Mark Hilton, a Catawba County Republican who sponsored the bill. "It's obvious what they're used for." 

So-called "glass roses" are often sold next to plastic tubes equipped with a blade for slicing open small cigars, which are then refilled with marijuana.

The bill would also require pipes of a certain length be kept behind the counter, which is already the custom in most stores. But Hilton hopes the register will be a deterrent and help probation officers. (N&O)