A group dedicated to reducing gun violence jeered Sen. Kay Hagan for her vote for an amendment that would have required states to recognize other states' concealed carry permits.
The Thune Amendment to the 2010 defense authorization bill, by Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, would have required states to recognize concealed weapons permits issued in other states. Individual states have varying laws on who can carry concealed weapons. Republican Sen. Richard Burr, an avid hunter, was a co-sponsor of the amendment.
It was Hagan, a Democrat, who took the brunt of the jeers from North Carolinians Against Gun Violence.
"What happened to states' rights?" said Sue Baker, board of directors president of the group. "North Carolina citizens trust that laws passed by our state legislature protect the public and keep us safe. The Thune Amendment would have made our North Carolina conceal carry laws obsolete."
The amendment failed.
The group noted that Hagan, as a state senator, voted for a bill that established guidelines for North Carolina to recognize other states' permits. The law stated that any state that recognized North Carolina's permits would have its permits recognized here.
