There is NO constitutional right under the U.S. or North Carolina Constitutions for any person to possess a firearm or other weapon on the campus of your assisted living community or nursing facility. That means that you can develop, implement and enforce facility policies preventing residents from having guns or other weapons in the facility and in their rooms or living units.

The recent tragic shootings at long term care facilities around the U.S. and in North Carolina have brought this issue to the forefront, prompting some residents to insist they have a right to weapons because your facility is their home. It this true? It is not. In the same way the owner of a private apartment complex can preclude weapons possession or use on site, so can the owner/operator of a long term care facility.