Shall-issue (no constitutional carry). Pistol purchase permit repealed 2023. No AWB, no mag cap, strong preemption. Stand-your-ground codified. Suppressors legal. No waiting period, no red-flag law.

No medical (limited hemp extract for epilepsy only) or recreational cannabis. Possession of <0.5oz decriminalized to civil fine. No psychedelic reform. Drug courts available. Harm reduction limited.

State minimum wage $7.25/hr (state matches federal). MIT living wage for 1 adult: $15.66/hr. Ratio 0.46 — minimum-wage workers earn 46% of what's needed to live there alone.

Moderate tax burden, below-median per-pupil spending, NAEP scores near national average, uninsured rate dropped 0.6pp in 2024 (Medicaid expansion). Improving healthcare access on a modest budget — efficiency uptick.

IJ grades NC A- on forfeiture (criminal conviction always required, no civil forfeiture - strongest in nation by statute). No QI reform. No-knock allowed. Body cam footage NOT public record (HB 972, 2016) - deducted heavily. No comprehensive privacy law. HB 318 (2015) restricts sanctuary cities.

No-excuse mail voting. Early voting 17 days (positive). Same-day registration only during early voting window. SB 747 (2023) ended grace period for mail ballots and added strict photo ID. Felons vote after sentence completion (NC court reversed 2022 expansion). Republican-drawn maps with extreme partisan bias after NC Supreme Court flipped. Major recent restrictions.

Medicaid expansion adopted 2023 (effective Dec 2023). 12-week abortion ban (SB 20). Trans youth gender-affirming care ban (HB 808, 2023 veto override). Rural hospital strain. Maternal mortality elevated.

No qualified immunity reform. No statewide BWC mandate (BWC footage NOT public record under NC GS 132-1.4A - requires court order). NC Criminal Justice Education & Training Standards Commission decertifies. No no-knock ban. No necessity standard. Local DAs prosecute (SBI investigates). Chokeholds restricted in some policies. Per-capita killings near median.

12-week abortion ban (2023). No statewide LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination. Gender-affirming care ban for minors (HB 808). Anti-trans school sports/bathroom laws. No conversion therapy ban. Republican legislative supermajority overriding Cooper/Stein vetoes. Active Christian-nationalist legislative pressure though governor opposes.

Right-to-work state. No paid family leave (state employees only). No paid sick leave. State OSHA plan (NCDOL OSH). Prevailing wage prohibited. Very weak wage theft enforcement. Above-median fatal injury rate. No heat, domestic worker, or scheduling protections. Among lowest union density nationally.