Open carry of a handgun in your own vehicle is generally lawful in North Carolina. The general concealed-weapons statute, G.S. 14-269, prohibits only...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
Open carry of a handgun in your own vehicle is generally lawful in North Carolina. The general concealed-weapons statute, G.S. 14-269, prohibits only carrying "concealed about his or her person." A handgun lying openly visible on the passenger seat or center console of your vehicle is not "concealed about" your person, and G.S. 14-269 does not reach it. The same place-based restrictions that govern open carry on foot (educational property, alcohol-sales establishments, courthouses, parades, posted private property) still apply when your vehicle passes onto or through those locations. See the OPEN_CARRY and PROHIBITED_PLACES sections for the place list.
Concealed carry of a handgun in your own vehicle without a Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) is a crime. Subsection (a1) of G.S. 14-269 reaches "any pistol or gun" carried "concealed about his or her person," and the statute does not cut out vehicles. A loaded pistol tucked under your thigh, in a closed glove compartment within arm's reach, under the dashboard, or inside an unzipped console where you can grab it without exposing it to view is "concealed about" you. First offense is a Class 2 misdemeanor; second or subsequent offense is a Class H felony. G.S. 14-269(c). Three carve-outs in G.S. 14-269(a1) prevent this prohibition from applying: (1) you are on your own premises, (2) you hold a valid CHP or an out-of-state permit recognized under G.S. 14-415.24, or (3) you are a qualifying military permittee under G.S. 14-415.10(2a) with proof of deployment.
If you hold a CHP, the operative rule changes. G.S. 14-415.11(a) authorizes concealed carry "unless otherwise specifically prohibited by law," and that includes carry in a vehicle. The CHP travels with you statewide for five years, including in your car. The restrictions that follow are place-based (where you and the vehicle are) and conduct-based (alcohol, the duty to disclose), not vehicle-based as such.
North Carolina is not a permitless concealed-carry state. Open carry of a handgun is generally lawful without a permit, but concealed carry of a handgun, in a vehicle or anywhere else, requires the CHP issued by the sheriff of your county of residence under G.S. 14-415.11. Note also that North Carolina repealed its pistol purchase permit in 2023 (S.L. 2023-8), so buying a handgun no longer requires a state permit, though a federal NICS check still runs at a licensed dealer. The pistol purchase permit and the CHP were always separate things; the CHP is still required to carry concealed.
The operative authorization for a permitted carrier inside a vehicle is the permit-exception in G.S. 14-269(a1)(2):
"(2) The deadly weapon is a handgun, the person has a concealed handgun permit issued in accordance with Article 54B of this Chapter or considered valid under G.S. 14-415.24, and the person is carrying the concealed handgun in accordance with the scope of the concealed handgun permit as set out in G.S. 14-415.11(c)."
Read with G.S. 14-415.11(a) ("any person who has a concealed handgun permit may carry a concealed handgun unless otherwise specifically prohibited by law") and the three CHP carry duties, this is the rule: a CHP holder may carry a concealed handgun on the person, in a holster, on a belt, in a pocket, in a console, or in a glove box while operating a vehicle in North Carolina, subject to (a) the G.S. 14-415.11(c) prohibited-locations list, (b) the G.S. 14-415.11(c2) alcohol and controlled-substance rule, and (c) the G.S. 14-415.11(a) duty to carry the permit, disclose to law enforcement on approach, and display the permit on request.
The military-permittee equivalent appears in G.S. 14-269(a1)(3):
"(3) The deadly weapon is a handgun and the person is a military permittee as defined under G.S. 14-415.10(2a) who provides to the law enforcement officer proof of deployment as required under G.S. 14-415.11(a)."
A military permittee in a vehicle is in the same operational posture as a CHP holder, with the added duty to produce proof of deployment.
When you are carrying concealed in your vehicle under your CHP, G.S. 14-415.11(a) imposes three affirmative duties that travel with you on every trip:
A failure on the permit-carry or disclosure duty is an infraction under G.S. 14-415.21(a) punishable per G.S. 14-3.1 (monetary penalty only, no criminal record), with discretionary CHP revocation under G.S. 14-415.18 a separate possibility.
G.S. 14-415.11(c2) is unforgiving and applies inside your vehicle exactly as it applies on foot:
"It shall be unlawful for a person, with or without a permit, to carry a concealed handgun while consuming alcohol or at any time while the person has remaining in the person's body any alcohol or in the person's blood a controlled substance previously consumed, but a person does not violate this condition if a controlled substance in the person's blood was lawfully obtained and taken in therapeutically appropriate amounts or if the person is on the person's own property."
The plain text: any alcohol in your body, not "while impaired" and not "over a 0.04," disqualifies concealed carry in the vehicle. Violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor under G.S. 14-415.21(a1), the harshest grade in the CHP penalty structure. The UNDER_INFLUENCE section walks the rule in greater depth.
North Carolina has three separate statutory locked-vehicle storage carve-outs that let a CHP holder lawfully leave a handgun in a parked vehicle in places where carry on the person is prohibited. The statutory language is nearly identical across the three: a handgun, in a closed compartment or container within the person's locked vehicle, in a specific kind of parking area. The vehicle may be unlocked to enter or exit, but the handgun must remain in the closed compartment at all times and the vehicle must be relocked immediately. None of the three statutes requires the compartment itself to lock independently of the vehicle. A glove box, a center console with a closed lid, or a closed bag inside the cabin appears to satisfy "closed compartment or container" so long as the vehicle is locked.
This carve-out lives inside the general concealed-weapons statute. Verbatim:
"(a2) This prohibition does not apply to a person who has a concealed handgun permit issued in accordance with Article 54B of this Chapter, has a concealed handgun permit considered valid under G.S. 14-415.24, or is exempt from obtaining a permit pursuant to G.S. 14-415.25, provided the weapon is a handgun, is in a closed compartment or container within the person's locked vehicle, and the vehicle is in a parking area that is owned or leased by State government. A person may unlock the vehicle to enter or exit the vehicle, provided the handgun remains in the closed compartment at all times and the vehicle is locked immediately following the entrance or exit."
Operational notes:
The educational-property statute makes it a Class I felony under G.S. 14-269.2(b) to possess or carry a firearm, openly or concealed, on the property of any school (K-12 and college/university), and at curricular and extracurricular activities. The locked-vehicle carve-out for CHP holders is at G.S. 14-269.2(k):
"(k) The provisions of this section shall not apply to a person who has a concealed handgun permit that is valid under Article 54B of this Chapter, or who is exempt from obtaining a permit pursuant to that Article, if any of the following conditions are met:
(1) The person has a handgun in a closed compartment or container within the person's locked vehicle or in a locked container securely affixed to the person's vehicle and only unlocks the vehicle to enter or exit the vehicle while the firearm remains in the closed compartment at all times and immediately locks the vehicle following the entrance or exit.
(2) The person has a handgun concealed on the person and the person remains in the locked vehicle and only unlocks the vehicle to allow the entrance or exit of another person.
(3) The person is within a locked vehicle and removes the handgun from concealment only for the amount of time reasonably necessary to do either of the following: a. Move the handgun from concealment on the person to a closed compartment or container within the vehicle. b. Move the handgun from within a closed compartment or container within the vehicle to concealment on the person."
This is the broadest of the three locked-vehicle carve-outs. It covers University of North Carolina system property, community college property, public and private K-12 property, and any other property that meets the G.S. 14-269.2 definition of educational property. Read together, subdivisions (k)(1) through (k)(3) authorize three operational postures for a CHP holder on educational property:
A separate self-defense affirmative defense appears at G.S. 14-269.2(l):
"(l) It is an affirmative defense to a prosecution under subsection (b) or (f) of this section that the person was authorized to have a concealed handgun in a locked vehicle pursuant to subsection (k) of this section and removed the handgun from the vehicle only in response to a threatening situation in which deadly force was justified pursuant to G.S. 14-51.3."
If a deadly-force situation justified under G.S. 14-51.3 (use of force in defense of person, with no general duty to retreat where the person is lawfully present) arises while you are properly within the (k) carve-out, removing the handgun from the vehicle to respond is not an offense. The USE_OF_FORCE and CASTLE_DOCTRINE sections walk the G.S. 14-51.2 and 14-51.3 standards.
G.S. 14-269.4 prohibits deadly weapons, openly or concealed, in the State Capitol Building, the Executive Mansion, the Western Residence of the Governor, on the grounds of any of those, and in any building housing a court of the General Court of Justice. Violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor. The CHP locked-vehicle carve-out is at subdivision (6):
"(6) A person with a permit issued in accordance with Article 54B of this Chapter, with a permit considered valid under G.S. 14-415.24, or who is exempt from obtaining a permit pursuant to G.S. 14-415.25, who has a firearm in a closed compartment or container within the person's locked vehicle or in a locked container securely affixed to the person's vehicle. A person may unlock the vehicle to enter or exit the vehicle provided the firearm remains in the closed compartment at all times and the vehicle is locked immediately following the entrance or exit."
This carve-out is cross-referenced by G.S. 14-415.11(c)(2), which excepts "Areas prohibited by G.S. 14-269.4, except as allowed under G.S. 14-269.4(6)" from the CHP-prohibited list. Operational notes:
G.S. 14-269.4(5) carves out an entire category of state property from the G.S. 14-269.4 prohibition:
"(5) State-owned rest areas, rest stops along the highways, and State-owned hunting and fishing reservations."
G.S. 14-415.11(c3) restates the rule affirmatively for CHP holders:
"(c3) As provided in G.S. 14-269.4(5), it shall be lawful for a person to carry any firearm openly, or to carry a concealed handgun with a concealed carry permit, at any State-owned rest area, at any State-owned rest stop along the highways, and at any State-owned hunting and fishing reservation."
Practically: you may stop at a state-owned interstate rest area on a road trip while carrying openly, or carrying concealed if you hold a CHP, without falling into the G.S. 14-269.4 prohibition. The (c3) rule is open-or-concealed for the firearm in general; if your firearm is concealed and not in the vehicle, you need the CHP.
Carry into a unit of the State Parks System is authorized by G.S. 14-415.11(c1):
"(c1) Any person who has a concealed handgun permit may carry a concealed handgun on the grounds or waters of a park within the State Parks System as defined in G.S. 143B-135.44."
The CHP authorizes concealed carry in any unit of the State Parks System on land and on water. Driving into a state park with a concealed handgun is authorized.
A vehicle-storage carve-out for state and local detention personnel and correctional officers appears at G.S. 14-269(b)(4c):
"(4c) Detention personnel or correctional officers employed by the State or a unit of local government who park a vehicle in a space that is authorized for their use in the course of their duties may transport a firearm to the parking space and store that firearm in the vehicle parked in the parking space, provided that: (i) the firearm is in a closed compartment or container within the locked vehicle, or (ii) the firearm is in a locked container securely affixed to the vehicle;"
The carve-out is occupational. It applies to detention personnel and correctional officers while parked in a duty-authorized space. The same "closed compartment or container" and "locked vehicle" architecture as the CHP storage rules applies.
Higher-education employees and K-12 employees who reside on campus get their own narrow vehicle and on-property storage rules at G.S. 14-269.2(i) and G.S. 14-269.2(j). Read G.S. 14-269.2(i) verbatim:
"(i) The provisions of this section shall not apply to an employee of an institution of higher education as defined in G.S. 116-143.1 or a nonpublic post-secondary educational institution who resides on the campus of the institution at which the person is employed when all of the following criteria are met: (1) The employee's residence is a detached, single-family dwelling in which only the employee and the employee's immediate family reside. (2) The institution is either: a. An institution of higher education as defined by G.S. 116-143.1. b. A nonpublic post-secondary educational institution that has not specifically prohibited the possession of a handgun pursuant to this subsection. (3) The weapon is a handgun."
For a CHP-holding resident employee:
"a. If the employee has a concealed handgun permit that is valid under Article 54B of this Chapter, or who is exempt from obtaining a permit pursuant to that Article, the handgun may be on the premises of the employee's residence or in a closed compartment or container within the employee's locked vehicle that is located in a parking area of the educational property of the institution at which the person is employed and resides. Except for direct transfer between the residence and the vehicle, the handgun must remain at all times either on the premises of the employee's residence or in the closed compartment of the employee's locked vehicle. The employee may unlock the vehicle to enter or exit, but must lock the vehicle immediately following the entrance or exit if the handgun is in the vehicle."
For a non-CHP resident employee:
"b. If the employee is not authorized to carry a concealed handgun pursuant to Article 54B of this Chapter, the handgun may be on the premises of the employee's residence, and may only be in the employee's vehicle when the vehicle is occupied by the employee and the employee is immediately leaving the campus or is driving directly to their residence from off campus. The employee may possess the handgun on the employee's person outside the premises of the employee's residence when making a direct transfer of the handgun from the residence to the employee's vehicle when the employee is immediately leaving the campus or from the employee's vehicle to the residence when the employee is arriving at the residence from off campus."
G.S. 14-269.2(j) applies the same framework to public and nonpublic K-12 employees who reside on campus.
If you fall into either category, the practical rule is: between the on-campus residence and the locked vehicle is the only authorized path for the handgun; the non-CHP rule is the more restrictive of the two and limits in-vehicle possession to direct ingress and egress only.
If you are not a student, not an employee, and not attending a sponsored event, and your firearm is in your vehicle in a locked container or locked firearm rack and unloaded, the otherwise-felony grade in G.S. 14-269.2(b) is reduced to a Class 1 misdemeanor under G.S. 14-269.2(f):
"(f) Notwithstanding subsection (b) of this section it shall be a Class 1 misdemeanor rather than a Class I felony for any person to possess or carry, whether openly or concealed, any gun, rifle, pistol, or other firearm of any kind, on educational property or to a curricular or extracurricular activity sponsored by a school if: (1) The person is not a student attending school on the educational property or an employee employed by the school working on the educational property; and (1a) The person is not a student attending a curricular or extracurricular activity sponsored by the school at which the student is enrolled or an employee attending a curricular or extracurricular activity sponsored by the school at which the employee is employed; and ... (3) The firearm is not loaded, is in a motor vehicle, and is in a locked container or a locked firearm rack."
This is a charge-grade reduction, not a permission. The carry is still unlawful. The reduction matters for a parent dropping off a forgotten lunch at a school where an unloaded shotgun in a locked rack is in the truck bed. It does not legalize routine vehicle storage of firearms on school property by parents, visitors, or contractors. The (k) and (k1) carve-outs (CHP only) are the lawful pathways.
Effective December 1, 2023, G.S. 14-269.2(k1) allows a CHP holder to carry on educational property that is also a place of religious worship, outside school operating hours, subject to posting:
"(k1) For the purposes of this subsection, property owned by a local board of education or county commission shall not be construed as a building that is a place of religious worship as defined in G.S. 14-54.1. The provisions of this section shall not apply to a person who has a concealed handgun permit that is valid under Article 54B of this Chapter, or who is exempt from obtaining a permit pursuant to that Article, if all of the following conditions apply: (1) The person possesses and carries a handgun on educational property other than an institution of higher education as defined by G.S. 116-143.1 or a nonpublic, postsecondary educational institution. (2) The educational property is the location of both a school and a building that is a place of religious worship as defined in G.S. 14-54.1. (3) The weapon is a handgun. (4) The handgun is only possessed and carried on educational property outside of the school operating hours. (5) The person or persons in legal possession or control of the premises have not posted a conspicuous notice prohibiting the carrying of a concealed handgun on the premises in accordance with G.S. 14-415.11(c)."
This is principally a carry exception, not a vehicle storage rule, but it matters operationally because access to a dual-use school-and-church property frequently happens by vehicle. If you arrive by car on a Sunday morning at a site that operates as a K-12 school during the week, your CHP authorizes both carrying on the person inside the building and entering the parking lot with the handgun in the cabin, so long as conditions (1) through (5) hold. Operational checks: the building qualifies as a place of religious worship under G.S. 14-54.1, the educational property is K-12 (not higher education), the weapon is a handgun, you are outside school operating hours, and the premises is not posted against concealed carry. Miss any one, and you fall back to the (k) locked-vehicle storage rule for the parking lot and the on-foot prohibition for the building.
G.S. 14-277.2 prohibits dangerous weapons at parades, funeral processions, picket lines, and demonstrations on public property or on the property of a private healthcare facility. G.S. 14-277.2(a) contains a statutory presumption directly relevant to vehicles in those settings:
"(a) It shall be unlawful for any person participating in, affiliated with, or present as a spectator at any parade, funeral procession, picket line, or demonstration upon any private health care facility or upon any public place owned or under the control of the State or any of its political subdivisions to willfully or intentionally possess or have immediate access to any dangerous weapon. Violation of this subsection shall be a Class 1 misdemeanor. It shall be presumed that any rifle or gun carried on a rack in a pickup truck at a holiday parade or in a funeral procession does not violate the terms of this act."
The pickup-truck-rack presumption is part of subsection (a) (the prohibition itself), not a separate subsection. G.S. 14-277.2(b) defines "dangerous weapon" to include weapons specified in G.S. 14-269, 14-269.2, 14-284.1, or 14-288.8, plus any other object capable of inflicting serious bodily injury or death when used as a weapon. The practical effect of the presumption: a long gun openly visible on a rack in the cab or bed of a pickup truck participating in a holiday parade or a funeral procession is presumed not to violate the prohibition. The presumption is rebuttable but it shifts the burden of producing evidence.
A separate concealed-carry carve-out at G.S. 14-277.2(d) applies to CHP holders at parades and funeral processions, subject to a posting override:
"(d) The provisions of this section shall not apply to concealed carry of a handgun at a parade or funeral procession by a person with a valid permit issued in accordance with Article 54B of this Chapter, with a permit considered valid under G.S. 14-415.24, or who is exempt from obtaining a permit pursuant to G.S. 14-415.25. This subsection shall not be construed to permit a person to carry a concealed handgun on any premises where the person in legal possession or control of the premises has posted a conspicuous notice prohibiting the carrying of a concealed handgun on the premises in accordance with G.S. 14-415.11(c)."
The (d) carve-out reaches only concealed carry of a handgun at a parade or funeral procession (not at a picket line or demonstration). It does not authorize open carry. It does not authorize long guns. The standard law-enforcement and event-permit carve-outs at G.S. 14-277.2(c) also apply (persons authorized by State or federal law to carry in the performance of their duties, persons with a sheriff or police-chief permit for the specific event, and persons exempted by G.S. 14-269(b)).
Three separate statutes (G.S. 14-269(a2), G.S. 14-269.2(k)(1), and G.S. 14-269.4(6)) all use the same operative phrase: "closed compartment or container within the person's locked vehicle." None of the three requires the compartment itself to lock independently of the vehicle. None requires a separately locked container. A closed glove box, a closed center console with a closed lid, a closed center armrest compartment, or a closed bag inside the cabin meets the textual standard so long as the vehicle is locked. The "or locked container securely affixed to the person's vehicle" clause adds an alternative (a bolt-mounted locked safe in the trunk), but it is an alternative, not a precondition.
The harder question is what happens outside the three enumerated contexts (state-government parking, educational property, restricted state property). In ordinary travel on public roads, a CHP holder has no separate compartment requirement: the CHP authorizes concealed carry on the person and in the vehicle under G.S. 14-269(a1)(2) read with G.S. 14-415.11(a). A CHP holder driving from home to a restaurant (that does not sell and serve alcohol) with a concealed handgun in a center console need not satisfy any "closed compartment" rule. The compartment rule is statute-specific to the three above. A non-CHP holder in ordinary travel does not get any vehicle-specific compartment-based exception under state law; concealed in the vehicle is concealed about the person.
A valid out-of-state concealed handgun permit recognized under G.S. 14-415.24 functions in the vehicle the same way an in-state CHP does. The Attorney General maintains and publishes the list of recognized states. The RECIPROCITY section walks the current list and the conditions.
A person carrying under G.S. 14-415.25 (active or qualified retired officers authorized under 18 U.S.C. 926B or 926C and in compliance with those sections) is exempt from the CHP requirement entirely and operates inside a vehicle on that federal authority plus the state exemption. The LEOSA carrier should carry the federal photographic identification required by 18 U.S.C. 926B(d) or 926C(d) in the vehicle and treat the duty-to-disclose obligation in G.S. 14-415.11(a) as operationally applicable on law-enforcement contact, even though the statute on its face attaches the disclosure duty to Article 54B permit holders.
The text of G.S. 14-269 and G.S. 14-415.11 does not distinguish between driver and passenger. A passenger carrying a concealed handgun in another person's vehicle is in the same statutory posture as a driver: the carry is lawful if you hold a CHP, a valid out-of-state permit under G.S. 14-415.24, or qualify under one of the G.S. 14-269(a1) carve-outs. The "concealed about his or her person" language reaches the passenger as well as the driver. The vehicle-owner's consent is not statutorily required by G.S. 14-269 (though it may matter for civil or property reasons separate from criminal law).
State authority does not displace federal law. Three federal rules apply on top of North Carolina's vehicle-carry rules:
| Conduct | Statute | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Concealed handgun in vehicle, no CHP, no carve-out, first offense | G.S. 14-269(a1) + 14-269(c) | Class 2 misdemeanor |
| Same conduct, second or subsequent offense | G.S. 14-269(c) | Class H felony |
| CHP holder carrying concealed in vehicle without permit on person, or failing to disclose on LEO contact | G.S. 14-415.11(a) + 14-415.21(a) | Infraction (G.S. 14-3.1) |
| CHP holder carrying concealed in vehicle with any alcohol or unlawfully consumed controlled substance in body | G.S. 14-415.11(c2) + 14-415.21(a1) | Class 1 misdemeanor |
| Firearm on educational property, including in vehicle, not within (k)/(k1)/(f) | G.S. 14-269.2(b) | Class I felony |
| Firearm on educational property in locked container or rack, unloaded, non-student-non-employee | G.S. 14-269.2(f) | Class 1 misdemeanor |
| Deadly weapon on State Capitol, Executive Mansion, or courthouse grounds, not within (6) locked-vehicle carve-out | G.S. 14-269.4 | Class 1 misdemeanor |
| Dangerous weapon at parade or funeral procession, not within (c), (d), or pickup-truck-rack presumption | G.S. 14-277.2(a) | Class 1 misdemeanor |
The catch-all in G.S. 14-415.21(b) (Class 2 misdemeanor) attaches to any other Article 54B violation not specifically graded in subsection (a) or (a1).
The Chapter 14 statute text quoted in this section (G.S. 14-269, 14-269.2, 14-269.4, 14-277.2, and 14-415.11) is the FindLaw scrape current as of January 01, 2023. The penalty grading in G.S. 14-415.21 is the Justia 2025 text. Independent verification against the General Assembly's current-text portal at ncleg.gov is recommended before relying on this section for a courtroom or compliance-audit purpose. Note also that the phrase "concealed about his person, on or near his vehicle," sometimes attributed to G.S. 14-269 in older training materials, does not appear in the current statute. Subsections (a) and (a1) read only "concealed about his or her person"; your vehicle is regulated through the place-based statutes (G.S. 14-269.2, 14-269.4) and the carve-out architecture above.
| Question | Answer | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Can I open carry a handgun in my own car? | Yes (subject to place-based restrictions when the vehicle is on prohibited property). | G.S. 14-269 (concealed-only); OPEN_CARRY section |
| Can I carry concealed in my car without a CHP? | No. Class 2 misdemeanor first offense; Class H felony second or subsequent. | G.S. 14-269(a1); 14-269(c) |
| Does a CHP authorize concealed carry in my car? | Yes, statewide, subject to G.S. 14-415.11(c). | G.S. 14-269(a1)(2); 14-415.11(a) |
| Does my passenger need a permit to carry concealed? | Yes, the same rules apply to the passenger. | G.S. 14-269(a1) |
| Where can I store a handgun in my vehicle on state-government property? | Closed compartment or container in the locked vehicle in a state-government parking area; CHP required. | G.S. 14-269(a2) |
| Where can I store a handgun in my vehicle on school or college property? | Closed compartment or container in the locked vehicle in the campus parking area; CHP required. | G.S. 14-269.2(k) |
| Can I stay in my locked car at the school carpool line with a concealed handgun on me? | Yes, if you have a CHP and remain in the locked vehicle. | G.S. 14-269.2(k)(2) |
| Can I store a handgun in my vehicle on State Capitol or courthouse grounds? | Closed compartment or container in the locked vehicle; CHP required. The carve-out covers "firearm" not only "handgun." | G.S. 14-269.4(6) |
| What about state-owned rest areas and rest stops? | Carry is lawful (open, or concealed with CHP). | G.S. 14-269.4(5); 14-415.11(c3) |
| Can I drive into a state park with a concealed handgun? | Yes, with a CHP. | G.S. 14-415.11(c1); 143B-135.44 |
| Does the glove box have to lock separately? | No. The statute requires only a "closed compartment or container" and a "locked vehicle." | G.S. 14-269(a2); 14-269.2(k)(1); 14-269.4(6) |
| Can I have one beer with dinner and drive home with a concealed handgun? | No. Any alcohol in the body disqualifies concealed carry, in the car or anywhere else. | G.S. 14-415.11(c2) |
| Do I have to tell an officer on a traffic stop that I am carrying? | Yes, when approached or addressed. Infraction for failure. | G.S. 14-415.11(a); 14-415.21(a) |
| Long gun openly carried on a pickup-truck rack in a holiday parade? | Presumed not to violate the parade prohibition. | G.S. 14-277.2(a) |
| Concealed handgun at a parade as a CHP holder? | Authorized if not posted against. | G.S. 14-277.2(d) |
| Is there a federal floor that travels with my vehicle? | Yes. 18 U.S.C. 922(g) prohibited-persons rules, 922(q) gun-free school zones, and 49 U.S.C. 46505 (aircraft) apply on top of state law. | 18 U.S.C. 922(g), 922(q); 49 U.S.C. 46505 |
| Do I need a pistol purchase permit to buy the handgun I carry? | No. North Carolina repealed the pistol purchase permit in 2023. A federal NICS check at a dealer still applies. The CHP is separate and still required for concealed carry. | S.L. 2023-8 |
The operative rules for the road. Open in the car is your default. Concealed in the car requires a CHP. The three locked-vehicle parking carve-outs (state property, educational property, restricted state property) are storage rules, not on-person carry rules, and each requires a CHP. Alcohol in the body disqualifies concealed carry in the vehicle. The duty to disclose on a traffic stop is non-optional. The OPEN_CARRY, PROHIBITED_PLACES, TRANSPORT, STORAGE, DUTY_TO_INFORM, and UNDER_INFLUENCE sections cover the adjacent rules in greater depth.
This page covers one part of our North Carolina concealed carry guide.
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