The Matheson Law Office Discusses North Carolina’s New Laws Put in Place December 1st
Raleigh, North Carolina (PRWEB) December 18, 2013 -- The North Carolina state legislature has recently implemented in excess of forty new laws as of December 1, 2013. These new statutes cover an array of policies from gun law to school bus safety. However, there are a few noteworthy changes the people of North Carolina should be aware of with these new laws. As a Raleigh Criminal Attorney the importance of being aware of any law alterations in the area must be stressed. Thus I would like to touch on a few laws pertinent to the citizens of North Carolina; Kilah’s Law, Caylee’s Law, NC School Bus Safety Act, Respect Our Fallen Hero’s, Lily’s Law, and Shoot Gun Inside/To Incite Fear.
In an article posted by WRAL News on November 29, 2013, “New NC Crime Measures Take Effect Sunday”, outlines of these laws are available. For starters, North Carolina is creating stricter gun regulations through the “Shoot Gun Inside/To Incite Fear” law it passed. This law now stipulates the act of discharging or attempting to discharge a weapon whilst inside a building is now a felony offense. Whereas prior to this alteration a person who fired a gun indoors without causing any injuries or casualties could only be charged with a misdemeanor. With the upgrade to felony charges, the defendant now runs the risk of losing their gun ownership rights. There is also a new law making stricter penalties for drivers who fail to obey the ‘Stop’ arm on state school buses; this falls under the NC School Bus Safety Act. The law enacts heftier fines and penalties and even can even lead to drivers losing their license. The state also takes position on the aims of Westboro Baptist Church, who takes it upon them to protest at the grave sights of fallen military heroes. A new law entitled ‘Respect Our Fallen Heroes’ now makes it more difficult for these protests to ensue or disturb a funeral service. The state now requires a longer distance between the protest and the service and it bans any protesting 2 hours before or 2 hours after the service.
These new laws also include Caylee’s Law, stemming from the famed Casey Anthony trial a few years ago, which makes it a felony for parents of children to not report a missing child within 24 hours. In addition this law now stipulates the failure to report child abuse is also a criminal offense, now punishable through Caylee’s Law. Then there is Kilah’s Law, which is implemented to increase punishment for child abuse. The maximum sentence is now thirty-three years in prison thanks to Kilah’s law and forces convictions of child abuse to now appear on a criminal record. Finally, there is Lily’s Law, which makes it a criminal offense for hurting a child in utero who then is born and dies from sustained injuries that occurred in the womb.
Several of these laws revolve around child protection, Caylee’s Law; Lily’s Law; and Kilah’s Law, while others are more focused on community safety; NC School Bus Act, Respect Our Fallen Heroes, and Shoot Gun Inside to Incite Fear. All of these laws up the restrictions and penalties for violating them and while they aim to create a safer environment for citizens of the state of North Carolina, it is still within people's right to hire a Wake County Criminal Attorney to protect rights afforded by the state.
Moseley Matheson, Matheson Law Office, Pllc, http://mathesonlawoffice.com, +1 (919) 335-5291, [email protected]
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