Gun-rights group starts radio campaign to pressure Berger

The state's main gun-rights group is stepping up the pressure on Senate Leader Phil Berger, demanding he bring a long-pending bill to a floor vote.
Grass Roots N.C. announced this morning it has begun a radio campaign pushing for a vote on HB111, which would allow people with permits to carry concealed weapons to bring their firearms into restaurants that serve alcohol.
The bill has languished for more than a year, but showed signs of life last week when a Senate committee gave it a thumbs-up vote. But instead of heading to the floor, the bill was referred to the Senate Finance Committee, even though there is no apparent financial impact to the bill.
Its sponsor, Rep. Mark Hilton, a Republican from Catawba County, said he feared the referral was the kiss of death to the bill, and he blamed Berger.
But Berger said earlier this week he supports the bill. He said he wants to see how similar laws have fared in other states, and suggested it might not get a floor vote this session.
The Grass Roots radio spot highlights three recent restaurant homicides in North Carolina and several armed robberies. Meanwhile, opponents are marshalling their own efforts, challenging Hilton's claim that abuses by concealed-carry permit-holders are virtually non-existent.