N.C. Gen. Stat. » Chapter 14
NC General Statutes

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-315 (2026)

Selling or giving weapons to minors

✓ current as of July 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section NCLEGncleg.gov (official) JustiaChapter 14 CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

(a) Sale of Weapons Other Than Handguns. - If a person sells, offers for sale, gives, or in any way transfers to a minor any pistol cartridge, brass knucks, bowie knife, dirk, shurikin, leaded cane, or slungshot, the person is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor and, in addition, shall forfeit the proceeds of any sale made in violation of this section.

(a1) Sale of Handguns. - If a person sells, offers for sale, gives, or in any way transfers to a minor any handgun as defined in G.S. 14-269.7, the person is guilty of a Class H felony and, in addition, shall forfeit the proceeds of any sale made in violation of this section. This section does not apply in any of the following circumstances:

(1) The handgun is lent to a minor for temporary use if the minor's possession of the handgun is lawful under G.S. 14-269.7 and G.S. 14-316 and is not otherwise unlawful.

(2) The handgun is transferred to an adult custodian pursuant to Chapter 33A of the General Statutes, and the minor does not take possession of the handgun except that the adult custodian may allow the minor temporary possession of the handgun in circumstances in which the minor's possession of the handgun is lawful under G.S. 14-269.7 and G.S. 14-316 and is not otherwise unlawful.

(3) The handgun is a devise and is distributed to a parent or guardian under G.S. 28A-22-7, and the minor does not take possession of the handgun except that the parent or guardian may allow the minor temporary possession of the handgun in circumstances in which the minor's possession of the handgun is lawful under G.S. 14-269.7 and G.S. 14-316 and is not otherwise unlawful.

(b) Repealed by Session Laws 1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 597, s. 2.

(b1) Defense. - It shall be a defense to a violation of this section if all of the following conditions are met:

(1) Repealed by Session Laws 2023-8, s. 2(b), effective March 29, 2023, and applicable to pistols sold, given away, transferred, purchased, or received on or after that date.

(2) The person reasonably believed that the minor was not a minor.

(3) The person either:

a. Shows that the minor produced a drivers license, a special identification card issued under G.S. 20-37.7, a military identification card, or a passport, showing the minor's age to be at least the required age for purchase and bearing a physical description of the person named on the card reasonably describing the minor; or

b. Produces evidence of other facts that reasonably indicated at the time of sale that the minor was at least the required age. (1893, c. 514; Rev., s. 3832; C.S., s. 4440; 1985, c. 199; 1993, c. 259, s. 3; 1993, c. 539, s. 217; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c); 1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 597, s. 2; 1996, 2nd Ex. Sess., c. 18, s. 20.13(b); 2011-284, s. 9; 2013-369, s. 18; 2023-8, s. 2(b).)

 

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 4 cases (2 in the last 5 years), 1977–2024 · leading case: Moning v. Alfono, 254 N.W.2d 759 (Mich. 1977).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
Moning v. Alfono, 254 N.W.2d 759 (Mich. 1977). · cites it 2× “[34] NC Gen Stat § 14-315; Miss Code Ann § 97-37-13.”
State v. Sherrod, 663 S.E.2d 470 (N.C. Ct. App. 2008). · cites it 2× “2 (a)(4) (2007) (bullets excluded from enumerated list of weapons); N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-315 (a) (2007) (“pistol cartridge” listed as weapon if sold to minor).”
Rocky Mountain Gun Owners v. Polis, 121 F.4th 96 (10th Cir. 2024). “§ 159:12 ); North Carolina ( N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-315 ); North Dakota ( N.”
State v. Cable (N.C. Ct. App. 2024). · cites it 2× “Upon considering N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-315 .1—the language within the statute, the use of similar language in other statutes, the legislative history, and the purpose of the statute—and applying the rule of lenity, we hold a firearm is “in a condition that the firearm can be…”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.