CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina is experiencing a boom of people looking to own guns. 

FBI data shows between 2022 and 2023, a surge of nearly 120,000 more people with firearm background checks. 

A North Carolina man says he may know why more people are purchasing guns. 

Mike Simpson, the director of training at Carolina Sporting Arms, is teaching people how to protect themselves and use guns safely. 

He says the business is feeling the boom of people buying guns. 

"We've seen a tremendous increase in gun sales," Simpson said. 

Simpson is crediting the boom to the elimination of the pistol purchase permit system, which required sheriffs to perform character evaluations and criminal history checks of people wanting to buy pistols.

In March 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly voted to override Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of a gun bill. This resulted in people no longer being required to get a permit from the county sheriff before purchasing a handgun. 

Simpson says the removal of the permit means one less step for people to go through. 

"It saves them months," Simpson said. 

Carolina Sporting Arms is expecting to serve a boost of more customers throughout 2024. 

"We've probably seen a 15-20% increase in the number of people buying handguns this year," he said. 

Despite the removal of the permit requirement, Simpson says safety remains a priority at their business.

"The federal background check is done now on every gun sale, so it's redundant," Simpson said. 

People still need to pass a national background check to purchase a pistol from a gun store or federally licensed dealer. The concealed weapons permits are still required.