Mark Robinson, Lt. Governor of North Carolina, Eyeing a Gubernatorial Run?

 

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North Carolinians’ might have another reason to celebrate after overriding their sitting governor’s veto this week, an event announcement from Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson, R-N.C., might be teasing a gubernatorial run. The sweet irony is the current governor, Governor Roy Cooper, D-N.C., vetoed a bill passed by the legislature that would abolish a Jim Crow-era law requiring purchase permits to procure a pistol. Robinson made waves and was thrust into the limelight in 2018 when giving a speech at a Greensboro City Council meeting.

While Governor Cooper – who is term limiting out – made the decision to veto a bill that would repeal a law that has been in place to aid local governments in keeping pistols out of the hands of Black Americans, Robinson’s event announcement seems to tease his own run to take up residence at the North Blount Street mansion.

If the “Major Announcement” label is not enough to tip off any of Robinson’s followers, the announcement cautions participants that they shouldn’t “wear or bring any materials for any other candidates or organizations,” and if they do will not be allowed in. Being the current second in command of the Old North State, the Executive Mansion of North Carolina would be the next logical step in his career.

During Robinson’s April 3, 2018, epic step into the political arena, he spoke for law-abiding gun owners while there was a debate over whether or not to cancel a gun show in the wake of a high-profile shooting:

“I’ve heard a whole lot of people in here talking tonight about this group or that group, domestic violence and Blacks, these minorities and that minority, what I want to know is, when are you all gonna start standing up for the majority. And here’s who the majority is. I’m the majority. I’m a law-abiding citizen who’s never shot anybody, never committed a serious crime, never committed a felony. I’ve never done anything like that. But it seems like every time we have one of these shootings, nobody wants to blame…put the blame where it goes, which is that the shooters feet, you want to put it at my feet. You want to turn around and restrict my rights. Constitutional rights, as spelled out in black and white. You want to restrict my right to buy a firearm and protect myself from some of the very people you’re talking about in here tonight. It’s ridiculous.” – Mark Robinson

What would a Robinson administration charged with looking after the people of North Carolina look like? For starters, it’s beyond doubtful there would be reporting on a veto of a bill that aims to reverse racist laws that are used to keep law-abiding citizens disarmed. Robinson, a current National Rifle Association board member, has spoke at several NRA Annual Meetings/ILA Leadership Forums on Second Amendment liberties, public safety, and related topics.

Given his robust and outspoken remarks on Second Amendment rights, a Robinson administration would likely continue to see to the repeal of unconstitutional laws, assuming the legislature follows through with veto override votes of bills the currently seated governor finds unfavorable.

Robinson’s webpage has the Second Amendment listed first on his “issues” page:

Mark has been a fierce fighter for the 2nd Amendment, as was seen in his Greensboro City Council speech. Since then he has continued to stand for the 2nd Amendment, serving on the Board of Directors for the NRA.

Some were engaged in reporting over the authenticity of Robinson’s Second Amendment support. A 2018 13NewsNow.com report stated that Robinson was not a gun owner and only became an NRA member just before his famous speech. The 13NewsNow.com article does not engage in questioning his support outright, but notes:

Robinson isn’t a lifetime member of the NRA. In fact, he only joined earlier this year, prior to his speech about protecting 2nd Amendment rights that made him famous.

[…]

The first time we talked with Robinson, we asked the passionate 2nd Amendment advocate whether he even had a gun. The answer is still no. But, he says he’ll likely get one soon.

Robinson was under fire last year, with tough criticism coming from Governor Roy Cooper. During a sermon that Robinson delivered, he noted his AR-15 is possessed in the event of government overreach. Looking at the analogues of why the Second Amendment was written, we know that its importance goes beyond self-defense – the cause celeb bringing ire of progressives today -, but the civil liberty acts as a final protection for the citizens against the government. Cooper said that Robinson’s remarks were “dangerous and not who we are as patriotic North Carolinians” in a tweet. He further elaborated that:

This is dangerous and not who we are as patriotic North Carolinians. @MarkRobinsonNC‘s assault weapon threats are bad enough, but an elected official sworn to uphold the constitution advocating violent overthrow of our govt shames NC and puts our safety and our democracy at risk. pic.twitter.com/38AKeSaqNY

— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) May 31, 2022

John Petrolino is a US Merchant Marine Officer, writer, author of Decoding Firearms: An Easy to Read Guide on General Gun Safety & Use and NRA certified pistol, rifle, and shotgun instructor living under and working to change New Jersey’s draconian and unconstitutional gun laws. You can find him on the web at www.johnpetrolino.com on twitter at @johnpetrolino, facebook at @thepenpatriot and on instagram @jpetrolinoiii .