A Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) employee revealed to attorneys in a 2024 deposition that the agency occasionally receives sensitive and unrequested medical data during concealed carry permit background checks, including abortion and sexually transmitted disease records, according to WCNC. In response to the revelation, one state lawmaker is planning to introduce legislation limiting the type of information provided in these reports. 

Republican Representative Keith Kidwell from District 90 in eastern North Carolina is showing his concern for the privacy of constituents whose inalienable rights are arguably already under undue scrutiny given the plain text of the Second Amendment. Although North Carolina residents sign an Administrative Office of the Courts form consenting to a sheriff’s office review of their history to ensure applicants are capable of safely handling a firearm when applying for a carry permit, certain medical information is considered far too invasive and irrelevant to forming the necessary determination.  

”We’ve got to do everything we can to control that… What I’m going to do is get with the drafting folks and we’re going to look at legislation and see how we curtail this so that only the information that’s necessary for law enforcement to make decisions on concealed carry is the only thing that they’re provided with,” said Kidwell.

Discovery of the privacy violation occurred when attorney Ron Shook was deposing witnesses in a 2024 lawsuit alleging the MCSO failed to issue concealed carry permits in a timely matter. A sheriff’s office employee detailed the wide range of information handed over by health providers during the background check process, many of which contain data not requested by the agency, such as whether a woman’s cesarean section records, their number of pregnancies, and more. 

“They’re also releasing information such as, ‘Has a person had an abortion? Do they have any sexually transmitted diseases? Really invasive personal information that the sheriff doesn’t need in order to make a decision about whether or not they should be able to carry a firearm. It’s entirely too much. It’s invasive,” Shook said.

A sheriff’s office spokesperson pointed out, however, that the agency does not control what information is turned over, noting that records are issued at the health provider’s discretion.

“Sometimes hundreds of pages are sent, but these may contain no evidence suggesting the applicant is unfit to safely handle a handgun, and the (Concealed Handgun Permit) is granted… Other times, only a few pages are sent, yet they reveal significant concerns, such as evidence of addiction or mental health issues, which could lead to a denial. Even records from providers not specializing in mental health, such as an OB/GYN, may be relevant. For example, discussions about an abortion might indicate severe depression or suicidal thoughts, raising concerns about the applicant’s ability to handle a handgun safely,” the MCSO spokesperson said in a statement. 

State law confounds the issue by allowing the release of “records concerning the mental health or capacity of the applicant” and requiring the sheriff’s office to consider “physical or mental infirmity” in determining carry permit eligibility, a confusion Representative Kidwell, known for sponsoring prior legislation to eliminate the permitting process, intends to clarify in drafting the new legislation. 

“Anything that goes beyond the necessity that the sheriff or sheriff’s deputies would need to make that decision is invasive in my mind … It’s inappropriate for them to be provided that information because it’s not necessary to make the decision they need to make. That’s blatantly none of their business and should not be provided … One of the things I do constantly is to try and look at legislation and say, ‘What’s the worst thing that can happen with this?’ And that’s what I try to address … We’ll have to come up with a different format, a different form, something along those lines so that the medical records are not released inappropriately,” says Kidwell.

The North Carolina General Assembly formally convenes its next session January 29. 

Proponents of any permitting process beyond the Second Amendment foolishly claim the requirement somehow makes communities safer, however, violent crime is already illegal, and I don’t think criminals bent on murder are deterred by a permit to carry whatever device they intend to use, be it a firearm, knife, pressure cooker or vehicle. This type of situation is an understandable result of making laws to chase other laws that were made to violate other laws rather than simply enforcing the law and allowing Americans the unfettered means to protect themselves and their families. Confused yet? You should be. That’s exactly where they want you. 

31 COMMENTS

    • I’m ready for it. As long as we make sentences real and hard for violent crime.

      Oh, and with no early release. Not even if the criminal bakes cookies and gives Sunday sermons to the prison population.

      • Does this mean the medical records of my pen!s length reduction surgery may be public, now?

        • “Does this mean the medical records of my pen!s length reduction surgery may be public, now?”

          My wife was looking over my shoulder and saw your post. She says its needs a reality check with a ‘that’s what she said’ interjection which is: That record was probably pretty short to begin with.

          🤣

    • The 2nd applies to every adult not in the judicial system – if someone is safe enough to walk the streets they’re safe enough to protect themselves; if they’re not safe enough to handle a gun then they’re not safe enough to be loose in public and lock them up.

      • The rule is that all deaths are Covid related.

        Sucking chest wound from a defender’s shotgun? Covid.

        Brain disconnect from a bank security guard’s sidearm, with bad guy brain matter all over the back wall? Covid.

        Need a 5-way heart bypass? Covid.

        Lost partial or all hearing because you had to shoot a bad guy in your tweenaged daughter’s bedroom last Thursday? Covid.

        Broke your neck jumping off your house and missing the pool? Covid.

        Did worse than a cadaver in your much vaunted Presidential debate with Donald Trump? Covid!

        Drove your pickup truck down Bourbon Street in an attempt to kill as many young partiers as you could? Covid, man, it was covid!

        Mark my words. The liberal playbook never really changes. They did Covid the same as they did Occupy Wall Street and BLM. It was proven to work, so we can all look forward to a heartfelt replay of the Covid strategy.

    • HIPAA pretty much exempts the government, insurance companies, and the entire healthcare system.

      You may think that everything jou tell your doctor is held in confidence…in fact, it is not.

      Luckily most of the time no one really gives a crap.

      Should you ever become a suspect, however, that is one of the first things they’re gonna pull. And, between the exemptions built into HIPAA and the third-party doctrine, you have no recourse. Even if some of it is used as evidence against you.

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  1. ATF Responds (to GOA) Regarding Attempt To Reinstitute Pistol Brace Ban.

    h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-QI9rljMrA

    • Does the ATF Really Know What They Want to Do With Pistol Braces?

      “You may recall a previous video that we did (link below) that explained that desite ATF’s Pistol Brace Rule getting its teeth kicked in at about every court humanly possible, the ATF seemed to think that they could stll enforce it. But then the Gun Owners’ of America sent a letter to ATF immediatley demanding answers. Well, it appears that the ATF has responded and I get while some want to claim victory in the response, we will show you that the ATF did not really back off on this. Washington Gun Law President, William Kirk, discusses all of this today.”

      h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdNg_lnA414

  2. MAJOR BREAKING NEWS: HUGE NEW RULING DUNKS ON TERRIBLE ANTI-GUN ARGUMENTS.

    The US Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit issued a new ruling in favor of the 2nd Amendment. Mark Smith, Four Boxes Diner, analyses the decision.

    h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e19ult0BAgY

  3. HAPPENING NOW: Congress Introduces (bill for) IMMEDIATE Stop To Medical (Medicare) Funding OF GUN CONTROL.

    h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbgsagOzzjE

  4. Isn’t this release of medical information also, potentially, a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)? I smell a lawsuit!

    • No, it’s not a HIPAA violation because when you apply for the CCW permit, they make you sign a waiver of your privacy rights. I think it should be unconstitutional to sign your rights away, especially to be forced to sign your privacy rights away in order to exercise another constitutional right, but the states don’t think so. New Jersey requires this waiver of privacy of your medical records not just for CCW permits, but also for getting the FPID Card that you need to buy any and all “firearms” including BB guns and other air guns, even for buying a Red Ryder BB gun (available only at FFL dealers in NJ), including black powder antiques. I kid you not, it’s true, NJ treats BB guns and black powder antiques as “firearms”!!

    • “Isn’t this release of medical information also, potentially, a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)? I smell a lawsuit!”

      It depends.

      Ya know when you go to the doctor and they have you fill out some forms? Read the fine print, else you may have allowed these to be given to law enforcement or anyone else in a state/county/city government with a lawful purpose under state law.

      In that way, if you allowed it by giving permission like that even if you did not realize it, unless you specifically tell them other wise (usually in writing, but it may also be another form they can supply), its not a HIPPA violation.

      The other way is if the state law directs it in some way, then its not a HIPPA violation (usually only if its not specifically excluded in the state law, like whats happened here). HIPPA still allows states to make laws directing the uses and release of medical records for ‘lawful purposes”, its not the all-encompassing protection people think it is.

      • Also … When you apply for the carry permit from the state, in most cases, you sign a waiver of your rights to privacy for purposes of issuing the permit so they can do a background check. That waiver may, depending on how the state law is written, negate HIPPA prohibitions on release of medical records for purposes of the background check.

      • For the most part, HIPAA is primarily protecting the insurance providers, secondarily the care providers, and to a minor extent, your patient privacy – that you most likely signed away at some point during treatment.

  5. For jwm: My condolences jwm. However, the medical report probably was written as stroke secondary to COVID. That’s the standard reporting format. COVID can be a brutal stress on the body.

    For everybody or everyone: Could you provide any information, from reliable sources, NOT to include Qanon, ONN or any person or any organization that has been slapped down by courts?
    It’s said anyone who had been to hospital had COVID. Which actually makes sense. You have to rule out COVID FIRST. Nobody possibly infectious, with ANY disease, should be admitted to hospital to assure the disease is not infectious. Personal example: I went to sleep with headache and increasing fever. It was far worse when I woke up. From my background as a Paramedic and Registered Respiratory Therapist, these are the classic signs and symptoms of Meningitis. At this point my worry was bacterial or viral. Bacterial gave me the possibility of death (No joke, bacterial Meningitis is a quick killer). Or viral, and I’d be miserable for 2-3 weeks, but mostly alive. Since I wasn’t dying the ER dept. docs and myself could pretty much rule out bacterial Meningitis. I was still placed in an isolation room with full isolation protocols, until my spinal tap came back negative for bacterial and positive for viral Meningitis. THEN I could taken out of isolation. Both diseases are horribly infectious and contagious. So, when entering the hospital HAD to rule out COVID first. As a medical professional I worked through the Hapatitis B and HIV blowup.

    A classic whodunnit: Single vehicle MVA, only fatality the driver. The question to be answered: Did the accident cause the fatality, or did the drivers’ death, immediately prior the accident?

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