Criminal Justice

HB 206 modifies North Carolina's process for handling firearms surrendered under domestic violence protective orders. It requires defendants to immediately surrender firearms, ammunition, and permits to the sheriff when such orders are issued, with a 24-hour deadline if immediate surrender isn't possible. The bill clarifies that sheriffs must store these items, may charge reasonable storage fees, and must conduct criminal background checks before returning firearms after the order ends. This directly affects domestic violence defendants, victims, and sheriffs managing firearm storage and retrieval.

This bill, known as Jaleeyah's Law, strengthens North Carolina's anti-gang laws by updating definitions of criminal gangs and increasing penalties for soliciting minors to participate in gang activity. It creates new offenses for encouraging people under 18 to join gangs and for gang members possessing firearms, with stricter penalties for those under 18. The legislation also allocates funding to hire additional prosecutors and investigators specifically focused on criminal gang cases. These changes will take effect in 2026 and aim to provide clearer legal tools for prosecuting gang-related crimes.

HB 620 adds High Point University School of Law to the list of educational institutions receiving five free copies of appellate court reports annually. It establishes a new program within the Administrative Office of the Courts to oversee local accountability and recovery courts, requiring annual reports on their operation and effectiveness. The bill also prohibits modifying court forms without clear notation of changes and removes public notice requirements for name changes when applicants are in address confidentiality programs or victims of domestic violence, sexual offense, or stalking, keeping related records private. These changes directly affect courts, law schools, attorneys, and individuals seeking name changes.

This bill amends North Carolina law to strengthen property rights for landowners regarding recreational activities. It requires written permission (signed, dated within 12 months, and carried on person) for hunting, fishing, or trapping on private land, with fines of $500 for first offenses on posted property and $1,000 for repeat violations. Landowners can also prohibit pine straw harvesting without written consent, creating a Class 1 misdemeanor for unauthorized removal. Repeat trespass offenses trigger license suspensions for hunting/fishing, and new rules ban launching watercraft from public roadways into waterways. The law directly affects hunters, fishers, landowners, and pine straw harvesters.