North Carolina § 14-316 - Permitting young children to use dangerous firearms.

§ 14-316. Permitting young children to use dangerous firearms.

It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly permit a child under the age of 12 years to have access to, or possession, custody or use in any manner whatever, of any gun, pistol or other dangerous firearm, whether such weapon be loaded or unloaded, unless the person has the permission of the child's parent or guardian, and the child is under the supervision of an adult. Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor. Air rifles, air pistols, and BB guns shall not be deemed "dangerous firearms" within the meaning of subsection (a) of this section except in the following counties: Caldwell, Durham, Forsyth, Gaston, Haywood, Mecklenburg, Stokes, Union, Vance. History (1913, c. 32; C.S., s. 4441; 1965, c. 813; 1971, c. 309; 1993, c. 539, s. 218; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c); 2013-369, s. 4; 2014-119, s. 10(a).) Editor's Note. - Session Laws 2013-369, s. 28, provides: "Sections 1 through 6, 14 through 16, 18, 21, 23, 25, and 26 of this act become effective October 1, 2013, and apply to offenses committed on or after that date. Section 17.3 and this section are effective when they become law. Section 27 of this act becomes effective October 1, 2013, and applies to any judgment entered for a felony conviction on or after that date. Except as otherwise provided in this act, the remainder of this act becomes effective October 1, 2013. Prosecutions for offenses committed before the effective date of this act are not abated or affected by this act, and the statutes that would be applicable but for this act remain applicable to those prosecutions." Session Laws 2014-119, s. 10(b), made the amendment to this section by Session Laws 2014-119, s. 10(a), applicable to offenses committed on or after December 1, 2014. Effect of Amendments. - Session Laws 2013-369, s. 4, effective October 1, 2013, in subsection (a), rewrote the first sentence, which read: "It shall be unlawful for any parent, guardian, or person standing in loco parentis, to knowingly permit his child under the age of 12 years to have the possession, custody or use in any manner whatever, any gun, pistol or other dangerous firearm, whether such weapon be loaded or unloaded, except when such child is under the supervision of the parent, guardian or person standing in loco parentis" and deleted the second sentence, which read "It shall be unlawful for any other person to knowingly furnish such child any weapon enumerated herein." For applicability, see Editor's note. Session Laws 2014-119, s. 10(a), effective December 1, 2014, deleted the following counties from subsection (b), "Anson, Caswell, Chowan, Cleveland, Cumberland, Harnett, Stanly, Surry". See Editor's note for applicability.