The Durham County Sheriff’s Office confirmed via its Facebook page that records kept as part of the County’s handgun registry have been destroyed.
These records have been maintained since 1935 as part of a Jim Crow era law intended to discourage the exercise of Second Amendment rights by minorities.
Durham repealed the registration law in June, but was unwilling to destroy associated records claiming they may have “historical value”.Last month, GRNC President Paul Valone and Director of Legal Affairs Ed Green sent a certified letter to Durham County Clerk of Superior Court Archie Smith advising him that retaining registration records under Durham’s repealed gun registration law was a clear violation of N.C.G.S. 14-409.40, which forbids local governments from regulating firearms. Quoting the relevant statute, the letter said:
