Major gun rights organizations GRNC and NRA rate the general election candidates | Eastern NC Now

The major gun rights organization in North Carolina, Grassroots North Carolina has issued its pre-election Remember in November assessment of general election candidates positions on gun rights.  The assessment is made from three sources, voting records, candidate questionaires, and other information.  Candidates are rated as one to four stars or zero, which is the lowest rating.

Here are the 2026 candidate ratings from GRNC

US Senate

Roy Cooper 0 ; Michael Whatley 4*; Bray (Lib.) 4*                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

US Congress

Don Davis 0 ; Laurie Buckhout 4*                                                                                           

NC Senate

Bob Brinson 4*  ; Dudley 0                                                                                                     

NC House

Darin Armstrong 0 

GRNC is by far the most active gun rights organization in the NC General Assembly.  It has people on the ground there almost constantly, while the NRA lobbyist for NC, who is based in Richmond, Virginia only shows up occasionally.   

The NRA grades based on letter grades, and where a candidate has no record and refuses to answer their questionaire, they get a "?" grade.  Here is the NRA ratings on gun rights. 

NRA ratings for General election:       

US Senate 

Whatley A,  Cooper F

US Congress

Buckhout A;  Davis F

NC Senate

Brinson A;  Dudley ?

NC House

Armstrong ?