Articles Tagged with NC Impaired Driving Laws

March 11, 2026

DWI and NC Felony Death by Vehicle | Concealed Handgun Permit Risk

If you hold a Concealed Handgun Permit in North Carolina, or plan to apply for one, you should understand a practical reality. A DWI charge, substance use concerns, or related findings can create real exposure for revoking your permit status, even though the legal mechanisms are not automatic.

Gun rights litigation at the national level tends to draw headlines. What receives far less attention is how North Carolina law can affect your concealed handgun permit when alcohol or drug issues enter the picture.

This is where careful legal analysis matters.

December 14, 2025

The “Per Se” DWI Narrative in North Carolina | Impaired Driving Law

by Carolina Attorneys

Search the phrase “per se DWI North Carolina,” and the results look deceptively confident. AI summaries and legal directories will tell you that if your blood test hits a certain number, a conviction is inevitable.

It is not the language of the statute. It is not the language used to instruct juries. It is a mantra of sorts that has been repeated so often it now masquerades as doctrine.

North Carolina’s DWI statute does not use the phrase per se impairment for alcohol or marijuana, and North Carolina’s jury instructions do not tell juries that a specific number automatically requires a finding of guilt. That phrase does not appear anywhere in N.C.G.S. 20-138.1.