In recent days, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden has announced that his department will no longer submit mental health record requests to the Veterans’ Administration (VA), which he had previously been sending for all applicants, whether or not the applicant had served in the military.
After being successfully sued by Grass Roots North Carolina and Gun Owners of America for obstructing concealed handgun permits by requiring applicants to schedule appointments many months in advance, McFadden shifted his tactics to obstruct permits by overwhelming the Veterans’ Administration with record requests for people who never served in the military.
Consequently, GRNC and GOA filed yet another lawsuit in U.S. District Court. In apparent response to the litigation, McFadden has now rescinded his previous policy of submitting all applicants to the VA, giving a lie to his earlier claim that such requests were necessary to ensure safety. It should be noted that in the past, McFadden apparently also dispensed with the VA requests for citizens named as plaintiffs in the suit, again conflicting with his claim that VA submissions were necessary for safety.
To reiterate, by submitting requests to the VA only for veterans, McFadden is bringing his practices into line with the 99 other North Carolina sheriffs.
In what can only be described as a temper tantrum, however, McFadden’s office is now refusing to continue allowing applicants to apply online from home, inconveniencing the applicants by requiring them to drive to downtown Charlotte to apply for concealed handgun permits, a requirement also at odds with the practices of other sheriffs.
Said GRNC president Paul Valone:
“The game of “Wack-A-Mole continues, as Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden, denied yet another way to obstruct concealed handgun permits, shifts to new ways of inconveniencing applicants. In apparent response to lawsuits by GRNC and GOA, McFadden will now discontinue the practice he insisted was necessary for safety: namely, overwhelming the Veterans’ Administration with mental health record requests for people who never served in the military. So in what can only be described as a temper tantrum, Sheriff McFadden will now require applicants to drive to downtown Charlotte to apply for permits in person, rather than applying online from home as they previously could. GRNC demands that McFadden cease his obstructionism in all forms. He should also reimburse citizens for thousands in legal fees spent getting this lawless sheriff to comply with the law.”
About Grass Roots North Carolina
Founded in 1994, Grass Roots North Carolina is an all-volunteer 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to preserving individual liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights with emphasis on the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
