A new state law goes into effect Monday that allows private school teachers to be armed on campus. Under the legislation, administrators of a private school can give permission to select teachers to carry firearms or stun guns.
Republican state representative Jeff McNeely says this gives private schools the opportunity to protect themselves. “The way the law was written, you can't have a firearm on, uh, campus of a public or private school in the state of North Carolina. And so to me, this is a violation of private property rights and your second amendment right.”
Sonali Rajan with the group Everytown for Gun Safety questions how effective this policy will be. “There is absolutely no evidence that arming teachers effectively deters gun violence in K through 12 schools, whether they're private or public schools. It does not also reduce the lethality of a shooting once it occurs.”
Teachers who choose to carry must have a concealed handgun permit and at least eight hours of gun safety training.
Iryna's Law, passed after the deadly stabbing in Charlotte of Iryna Zarutska on the light-rail in August, also goes into effect Monday.
Governor Josh Stein signed the criminal justice reform bill into law with some bipartisan support in October. It tightens restrictions on pretrial release, mandates mental health evaluations for certain defendants, and increases magistrate accountability. The law also includes provisions to expedite death penalty appeals, requiring them to be heard within two years of filing.
Under a new state law that takes effect Monday many SNAP recipients will need to work, volunteer, or participate in job training for at least 80 hours a month to keep their benefits. While work requirements are already in place, changes signed into law by President Trump this summer will expand these requirements to include people aged 55 to 64 and parents without children under 14.
Another new law cracks down on drivers going too slow in the left lane. It does not apply to farm tractors or other slow-moving vehicles, but drivers in the left lane of a multi-lane highway at a speed that impedes the normal and reasonable movement of traffic can be ticketed for going ten miles an hour under the posted speed limit.
Another new traffic law bans heavy trucks from the left lane of a highway with six or more lanes, unless drivers are entering or exiting the highway, avoiding a hazard or passing another vehicle.
And as of Monday, the driver of a car with tinted windows must roll down the window on the side the officer is approaching.
