Education; Weapons; Concealed Carry; School Safety
Private-school staff could carry guns under tighter rules
North Carolina’s bill limits that option to employees and volunteers with school approval, a concealed handgun permit and extra annual training. Schools would also have to put the policy in writing and share it with parents.
North Carolina would create a narrow exception to its private-school weapons ban. The change would require written approval, annual safety training and school rules on paper before anyone could carry on campus.
- Only private-school employees and volunteers could qualify.
- Written approval from school leaders would be required.
- Carriers would need a valid concealed handgun permit and extra annual training.
- Schools would have to share written operating rules with parents.
- The change would start Dec. 1, 2025.
In North Carolina, a proposal would carve a narrow exception into the private-school weapons ban starting Dec. 1, 2025. Certain employees and volunteers could carry a firearm or stun gun on educational property only if school leaders authorize them, they hold a valid concealed handgun permit, and they complete extra annual safety training.
The practical effect is that the decision would stay inside the school, not with the general public. The bill keeps the focus on a private school’s own campus rules, but it also adds more conditions than a simple permission slip.
Permission, not open carry
The exception would apply only to private-school employees and volunteers. To qualify, the person would need written authorization from the school board of trustees or the school administrative director, along with a concealed handgun permit valid under state law.
The training requirement is separate from the permit course. Each year, the person would have to complete at least eight more hours of gun-safety and firearms-use instruction under a certified National Rifle Association instructor or an equivalent instructor.
A paper trail for the campus
The school itself would have to keep written operating procedures for the weapons policy and share them with parents each year. The permission would cover educational property owned, used or operated by the private school, which keeps the carveout tied to school-controlled space.
Available vote records show the bill advanced without recorded no votes.