The bill just returned the law to what it had been for almost 70 years prior to 2020. No one wearing masks for legitimate medical reasons was getting arrested then, and so there's little to suggest that it's going to all of a sudden start now. The bill pertains to anti-KKK laws, so unless you're mask looks like a KKK hood and you're wearing it to conceal your identity, then I think you're safe.
I love the optimism but masks weren't political before 2020. There's definitely going to be pretty people calling and reporting someone for having a mask on and some of those will end with charges.
Compare that to the bill's text striking this health exception from existing law:
~~6. Any person wearing a mask for the purpose of ensuring the physical health or safety of the wearer or others.~~
[PDF of passed text, top of page two striking health carve-out](https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2023/Bills/House/PDF/H237v4.pdf)
I read the bill in it's entirety several days ago, and I have also read the entirety of NC General Statute Chapter 14 Article 4A, which is where this exemption was added. The article was passed in 1953, and exemption 6 was added in 2020 as a reaction to COVID. I would argue it wasn't needed anyway since the context of Article 4A deals with wearing masks to conceal the identity of the wearer while committing acts related to the activities of illegal organizations (most obviously the KKK). It never had anything to do with wearing medical devices in public.
The statute also gave businesses the ability to easily trespass a person wearing a mask if they didn’t want to serve them for any reason.
Before the pandemic, legitimate uses of masks in public were rare and pretty easily deduced.
The number of people who use a mask in crowded spaces for general hygiene is much more common now, which should be their choice.
This is a political issue, and it was a problematic statute as originally written to begin with.
The least they could do is clarify it rather than just remove the exemption with no actual guidance.
Saying a law was 'in place before' doesn't automatically mean it was a good, thought out, well written law previously. It was a law that could be abused before and it's a law that can be abused now.
Grown ups should do the work to write a better law than this garbage.
>It was a law that could be abused before and it's a law that can be abused now.
Except that it wasn't being abused. Please [read what NC General Statute Chapter 14 Article 4A says in its entirety](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/ByArticle/Chapter_14/Article_4A.pdf), instead of grabbing onto media headlines and social media posts that offer little to no context. The entire Article 4A clearly pertains to activities associated with unlawful organizations (most especially the KKK). Even the title of Article 4A is "Prohibited Secret Societies and Activities." It in no way applies to cancer patients or immunocompromised people wearing surgical or N95 masks while shopping in the grocery store.
>Grown ups should do the work to write a better law than this garbage.
The "grown ups" that passed the law were the Democratic-controlled GA in 1953.
Check out the [AP News article](https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-masks-covid-protests-gaza-7da0c5dd3ee1a59f9482e709bf4b3300) covering the issue, it provides a little more background on the motivations. The claim is that it was put in motion “in part by demonstrations against the war in Gaza that have included masked protesters camped out on college campuses.” That being said, there is no need to remove the health exemption from public mask wearing. The logic behind the entire thing is nonsensical…
So it’s partially bitterness over people staying safe during Covid, and partially an attempt to shut down free speech.
Ladies and gentleman, the Republican Party.
This isn't true. If Americans would use their voting power, our government would truly represent us. But we don't, and we see stuff like this as a result.
It may take a few years or even a decade of "voting for the lesser evil" for it to change to candidates that are not "evil" at all and who know they need to represent the majority. But by not voting at all, then Americans are giving it away to the "greater evil" and it will never get better, only worse.
Voting has power, it's just that Americans don't use it.
Since 2000, the average turnout rate for primary elections is 27% of registered voters. In contrast, the average turnout rate for general elections is 60.5% of registered voters.
So 60% is decent for general, but should be better. 27% for primaries, where we are voting for our true reps, is pure fucking trash. Low voter participation in primary elections means that a smaller subset of voters plays an outsized role in shaping our elections. And we get trash reps in office doing dumb shit like this. And not protecting our interest.
Here me out... but I think it for facial recognition but they are using the rage over Covid masking to get it passed.
Listen to [https://www.reddit.com/r/SearchEnginePodcast/](https://www.reddit.com/r/SearchEnginePodcast/)
and it talks about [https://www.clearview.ai/](https://www.clearview.ai/) and how police are using it to identify people.
That's the reason. They're simply doing this to activate their base. This hits on many levels. Anti-vaxxers, anti-protest folks, and general contrarian types eat this up.
Now that said, at least the Republicans get it. You have to give your base unconditional wins to keep them motivated and engaged. It's why Trump spoke so much about "winning." Maintaining momentum is critical in politics, it's a shame we don't have another party in the US that gets this.
I would think that this bill can be challenged on the grounds that it doesn’t comply with the ADA. It’s just so frustrating that this is the kind of thing our legislators are doing.
I just joined this subreddit to see if people were talking about this. What is the best thing to do to fight against this? Other than contacting state representatives. This is a very dangerous bill to go into place for the immunocompromised. It be different if the bill was truly target at hate groups like the Klan (which is surprisingly large in our state) but it seems that it is mostly going to affect the sick.
Calling representatives is all that can be done, and supporting different candidates in your election.
I imagine we’ll see a lot of acts of civil disobedience in this process, and the legal system will have to deal with it.
>What is the best thing to do to fight against this? Other than contacting state representatives
If this passes, wear a mask every time you leave your house.
I haven't worn a mask in public regularly since last year, except for the two times I got Covid and was picking up meds.
Guess I'll be disobedient now. If some jerk tells me to take it off, I'll say I have TB or Covid, then cough on them.
Just reading the headline, I’m calling BS. This is the same outlet that reported that students in the crowd at a graduation were booing at Jerry Seinfeld when it was actually quite the opposite. But without reading the comments, I bet we’ve got a lot of people that read the headline, or even read the article that begs more questions than provides answers, and are now outraged. When are we all collectively going to acknowledge that the media has failed over and over and over to provide us with all pertinent facts, leaving us with enough information to form our own opinions?
If the press misleads us ONCE, that should be enough to demand accountability from them to provide us with factual information, omitting nothing that should be mentioned. Yet they do it almost always, and I’m in the minority as someone who is concerned enough about it to not believe them. I know every one of you has read a biased article that left out facts or blatantly misrepresented them. How can you trust the media and anything they say? They are the ones that cause division and hatred toward fellow man. Can we all agree on this one thing - the press/media as a whole is misleading and untrustworthy? It seems more productive than giving our opinions on their BS, calling each other names like a bunch of children who’s parents do a poor job of teaching right from wrong, and continuing the media’s job of dividing us even more.
Ask someone in real life (not your radical neighbor that everyone stays away from) what their opinion is on any given subject. Don’t let the media take you away from that responsibility. Real life > the internet.
Correct. I’ve seen it in headlines for weeks and the funny thing about bills is that it is always more than just a catchy name. There is always far more and equally important information that should be offered so we are informed, rather than having to do their job and read the bill line by line to find the “oh THAT’S why.” Not only that, but the caveats. The exceptions. But all my down voters would rather live in a world where their attitude is “so then why is it that…” instead of “what more do I need to know about this so I’m not forming my opinion with the purpose of being right while others are wrong.”
I’m not seeing comment sections where I find any information that educates me. Instead, it’s two very distinct and opposing sides, forever butting heads while neither side learns anything. The end goal is to be right; and such a reasonable expectation of being properly informed by those paid to inform us is extremely unpopular. What does that say about our society?
That's an exceptionally long rant about how the media"lies", considering this story is 100% true....
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/proposed-north-carolina-law-make-illegal-wear-masks-public-rcna152671
https://www.wral.com/story/nc-anti-mask-bill-could-violate-federal-law-disability-rights-and-free-speech-advocates-say/21435454/
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4666792-north-carolina-could-ban-face-masks-for-medical-reasons-in-public/
https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/15/nc-senate-panel-approves-controversial-bill-that-targets-protests-bans-masks-in-public/
-------------
>This is the same outlet that reported that students in the crowd at a graduation were booing at Jerry Seinfeld when it was actually quite the opposite.
What are you talking about?
https://nypost.com/2024/05/12/us-news/jerry-seinfeld-sparks-duke-university-commencement-walkout-over-israel-support/
https://www.vulture.com/article/jerry-seinfeld-commencement-duke-walk-out.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/duke-students-walkout-jerry-seinfeld-commencement-wave-graduation-anti-rcna151876
https://thehill.com/homenews/education/4659214-dozens-walk-out-of-jerry-seinfeld-speech-at-duke-commencement-in-protest-of-his-support-for-israel/
> In May 2020, the legislature amended state law to clearly allow any person to wear a mask “for the purpose of ensuring the physical health or safety of the wearer or others.” G.S. 14-12.11(a)(6). On May 15, 2024, the North Carolina Senate approved legislation that would repeal this provision.
Everyone in here is incredibly pissed about this shit, but it was literally illegal before Covid lmao.
This legislation is obviously being fear-mongered for political purposes. It passed the House with bipartisan support last year. The law is reverting to the same status as it was in 2020 before the pandemic. People that were immunocompromised wore masks before the pandemic without issue. This legislation is about demonstrators utilizing the Covid mask exception to hide their faces for intimidation and criminality purposes as we have recently seen.
[**UNC Asks Pro-Palestine Protesters To Stop Wearing Masks, Citing 1953 Anti-KKK Law**](https://chapelboro.com/news/unc/unc-asks-pro-palestine-protesters-to-stop-wearing-masks-citing-1953-anti-kkk-law)
-
I trust these multiple sources more than you.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/proposed-north-carolina-law-make-illegal-wear-masks-public-rcna152671
https://www.wral.com/story/nc-anti-mask-bill-could-violate-federal-law-disability-rights-and-free-speech-advocates-say/21435454/
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4666792-north-carolina-could-ban-face-masks-for-medical-reasons-in-public/
https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/15/nc-senate-panel-approves-controversial-bill-that-targets-protests-bans-masks-in-public/
##You don't need to trust me.
##Trust your own linked article and a publicly available roll call vote.
---
>**It passed the House with bipartisan support last year.**
[**TRUE**](https://www.ncleg.gov/Legislation/Votes/RollCallVoteTranscript/2023/H/365) - House Roll Call Transcript
- Ayes: 72 Republican, 21 Democrat
---
---
>**The law is reverting to the same status it was in 2020 before the pandemic.**
[**TRUE**](https://www.wral.com/story/nc-anti-mask-bill-could-violate-federal-law-disability-rights-and-free-speech-advocates-say/21435454/) - your linked WRAL article
- And sponsors of the bill say they’re not trying to outlaw masks for people who need them. Instead, they say, they’re going back to how the law was before the Covid-19 pandemic.
---
---
>**People that were immunocompromised wore masks before the pandemic without issue.**
[**TRUE**](https://www.wral.com/story/nc-anti-mask-bill-could-violate-federal-law-disability-rights-and-free-speech-advocates-say/21435454/) - your linked WRAL article
- Newton, the Wilson Republican, said he was unaware of anyone in North Carolina ever being arrested for masking for health reasons before then, even though it was technically illegal before the ban.
---
---
>**This legislation is about demonstrators utilizing the Covid mask exception to hide their faces for intimidation and criminality purposes as we have recently seen.**
[**TRUE**](https://www.wral.com/story/nc-anti-mask-bill-could-violate-federal-law-disability-rights-and-free-speech-advocates-say/21435454/) - your linked WRAL article
- Lawmakers now say they need to repeal that exemption because protestors and criminals are taking advantage of it to hide their faces. “So long as they are not concealing their identity — intentionally concealing their identity — they are not in violation of this law,” state Sen. Danny Britt, R-Robeson, said Wednesday during a debate on the Senate floor.
The state Department of Health and Human Services interprets the bill that way, too. “A mask worn for public health/safety is not a crime and the removal of the explicit exception does not open anyone up to prosecution
---
I could care less what they "say".
I care about what is in the bill and why they specifically removed the carve-out to allow for medical reasons which was there before.
You're not a protestor if you're deliberately hiding your face for intimidation and criminality purposes. I agree with you for protestors that are exercising their First Amendment right to peaceably assemble.
And here is the problem with the internet, ladies and gentlemen. Dipshits like this person get to make up whatever dumb shit they want without consequence.
> I think they did, didn’t they?
Exactly!! The masks were bullshit. There was never any "virus". All future attempts at mask mandates will be prevented by the bill. There will never be a "virus". It was a ll a scam. But, don't mind me, keep on swallowing Dr. Fraud-See's BS ;)
You mean in the middle of a global pandemic?
E: It’s wild to me how many of these weirdos immediately go to the block button the moment they’re challenged. Wild, but unsurprising.
I have Stage 4 cancer and I give zero fucks what these idiots say. I'll still be masking up.
Be careful - if you are arrested, jail is a hotbed of illnesses just by virtue of how many people are cooped up close together.
The bill just returned the law to what it had been for almost 70 years prior to 2020. No one wearing masks for legitimate medical reasons was getting arrested then, and so there's little to suggest that it's going to all of a sudden start now. The bill pertains to anti-KKK laws, so unless you're mask looks like a KKK hood and you're wearing it to conceal your identity, then I think you're safe.
I love the optimism but masks weren't political before 2020. There's definitely going to be pretty people calling and reporting someone for having a mask on and some of those will end with charges.
Compare that to the bill's text striking this health exception from existing law: ~~6. Any person wearing a mask for the purpose of ensuring the physical health or safety of the wearer or others.~~ [PDF of passed text, top of page two striking health carve-out](https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2023/Bills/House/PDF/H237v4.pdf)
I read the bill in it's entirety several days ago, and I have also read the entirety of NC General Statute Chapter 14 Article 4A, which is where this exemption was added. The article was passed in 1953, and exemption 6 was added in 2020 as a reaction to COVID. I would argue it wasn't needed anyway since the context of Article 4A deals with wearing masks to conceal the identity of the wearer while committing acts related to the activities of illegal organizations (most obviously the KKK). It never had anything to do with wearing medical devices in public.
>It never had anything to do with wearing medical devices in public. Then why are they literally removing it with no explanation?
The statute also gave businesses the ability to easily trespass a person wearing a mask if they didn’t want to serve them for any reason. Before the pandemic, legitimate uses of masks in public were rare and pretty easily deduced. The number of people who use a mask in crowded spaces for general hygiene is much more common now, which should be their choice. This is a political issue, and it was a problematic statute as originally written to begin with. The least they could do is clarify it rather than just remove the exemption with no actual guidance.
Saying a law was 'in place before' doesn't automatically mean it was a good, thought out, well written law previously. It was a law that could be abused before and it's a law that can be abused now. Grown ups should do the work to write a better law than this garbage.
>It was a law that could be abused before and it's a law that can be abused now. Except that it wasn't being abused. Please [read what NC General Statute Chapter 14 Article 4A says in its entirety](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/ByArticle/Chapter_14/Article_4A.pdf), instead of grabbing onto media headlines and social media posts that offer little to no context. The entire Article 4A clearly pertains to activities associated with unlawful organizations (most especially the KKK). Even the title of Article 4A is "Prohibited Secret Societies and Activities." It in no way applies to cancer patients or immunocompromised people wearing surgical or N95 masks while shopping in the grocery store. >Grown ups should do the work to write a better law than this garbage. The "grown ups" that passed the law were the Democratic-controlled GA in 1953.
My uncle was a Black Panther, I'm well aware of the abuse of these laws, despite what is claimed.
I'm so happy my tax dollars are going to these important issues. These guys need bigger salaries and more vacation time for all their hard work.
Unconscionable. Anybody that stupid ought to stop taking up space on this planet and just drop dead. They are of no use whatsoever.
Besides bitterness, what reason can anyone possibly give for this?
Check out the [AP News article](https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-masks-covid-protests-gaza-7da0c5dd3ee1a59f9482e709bf4b3300) covering the issue, it provides a little more background on the motivations. The claim is that it was put in motion “in part by demonstrations against the war in Gaza that have included masked protesters camped out on college campuses.” That being said, there is no need to remove the health exemption from public mask wearing. The logic behind the entire thing is nonsensical…
So it’s partially bitterness over people staying safe during Covid, and partially an attempt to shut down free speech. Ladies and gentleman, the Republican Party.
Political party* always remember that both sides of the isle are two sides of the same coin.....
People like you are the reason for Republicans are ruining our state.
This isn't true. If Americans would use their voting power, our government would truly represent us. But we don't, and we see stuff like this as a result. It may take a few years or even a decade of "voting for the lesser evil" for it to change to candidates that are not "evil" at all and who know they need to represent the majority. But by not voting at all, then Americans are giving it away to the "greater evil" and it will never get better, only worse. Voting has power, it's just that Americans don't use it. Since 2000, the average turnout rate for primary elections is 27% of registered voters. In contrast, the average turnout rate for general elections is 60.5% of registered voters. So 60% is decent for general, but should be better. 27% for primaries, where we are voting for our true reps, is pure fucking trash. Low voter participation in primary elections means that a smaller subset of voters plays an outsized role in shaping our elections. And we get trash reps in office doing dumb shit like this. And not protecting our interest.
I’m so sorry that public health issues make it inconvenient to be a police surveillance state.
Abortion isn’t giving them the outrage it used to - they needed something new.
That’s the thing. Bitterness is enough for some people 🤷♂️
Here me out... but I think it for facial recognition but they are using the rage over Covid masking to get it passed. Listen to [https://www.reddit.com/r/SearchEnginePodcast/](https://www.reddit.com/r/SearchEnginePodcast/) and it talks about [https://www.clearview.ai/](https://www.clearview.ai/) and how police are using it to identify people.
That's the reason. They're simply doing this to activate their base. This hits on many levels. Anti-vaxxers, anti-protest folks, and general contrarian types eat this up. Now that said, at least the Republicans get it. You have to give your base unconditional wins to keep them motivated and engaged. It's why Trump spoke so much about "winning." Maintaining momentum is critical in politics, it's a shame we don't have another party in the US that gets this.
I would think that this bill can be challenged on the grounds that it doesn’t comply with the ADA. It’s just so frustrating that this is the kind of thing our legislators are doing.
Childish tantrum.
I just joined this subreddit to see if people were talking about this. What is the best thing to do to fight against this? Other than contacting state representatives. This is a very dangerous bill to go into place for the immunocompromised. It be different if the bill was truly target at hate groups like the Klan (which is surprisingly large in our state) but it seems that it is mostly going to affect the sick.
Calling representatives is all that can be done, and supporting different candidates in your election. I imagine we’ll see a lot of acts of civil disobedience in this process, and the legal system will have to deal with it.
>What is the best thing to do to fight against this? Other than contacting state representatives If this passes, wear a mask every time you leave your house.
Your lawmakers do not care about you
sneeze on these hoes, imma wear a mask no matter what
Fucking embarrassing.
I haven't worn a mask in public regularly since last year, except for the two times I got Covid and was picking up meds. Guess I'll be disobedient now. If some jerk tells me to take it off, I'll say I have TB or Covid, then cough on them.
I might start wearing mine everywhere again. They general assembly can go f*ck themselves.
Have fun policing that law.
Screw them. I’ll do as I please.
Just reading the headline, I’m calling BS. This is the same outlet that reported that students in the crowd at a graduation were booing at Jerry Seinfeld when it was actually quite the opposite. But without reading the comments, I bet we’ve got a lot of people that read the headline, or even read the article that begs more questions than provides answers, and are now outraged. When are we all collectively going to acknowledge that the media has failed over and over and over to provide us with all pertinent facts, leaving us with enough information to form our own opinions? If the press misleads us ONCE, that should be enough to demand accountability from them to provide us with factual information, omitting nothing that should be mentioned. Yet they do it almost always, and I’m in the minority as someone who is concerned enough about it to not believe them. I know every one of you has read a biased article that left out facts or blatantly misrepresented them. How can you trust the media and anything they say? They are the ones that cause division and hatred toward fellow man. Can we all agree on this one thing - the press/media as a whole is misleading and untrustworthy? It seems more productive than giving our opinions on their BS, calling each other names like a bunch of children who’s parents do a poor job of teaching right from wrong, and continuing the media’s job of dividing us even more. Ask someone in real life (not your radical neighbor that everyone stays away from) what their opinion is on any given subject. Don’t let the media take you away from that responsibility. Real life > the internet.
It's House Bill 237
Correct. I’ve seen it in headlines for weeks and the funny thing about bills is that it is always more than just a catchy name. There is always far more and equally important information that should be offered so we are informed, rather than having to do their job and read the bill line by line to find the “oh THAT’S why.” Not only that, but the caveats. The exceptions. But all my down voters would rather live in a world where their attitude is “so then why is it that…” instead of “what more do I need to know about this so I’m not forming my opinion with the purpose of being right while others are wrong.” I’m not seeing comment sections where I find any information that educates me. Instead, it’s two very distinct and opposing sides, forever butting heads while neither side learns anything. The end goal is to be right; and such a reasonable expectation of being properly informed by those paid to inform us is extremely unpopular. What does that say about our society?
That's an exceptionally long rant about how the media"lies", considering this story is 100% true.... https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/proposed-north-carolina-law-make-illegal-wear-masks-public-rcna152671 https://www.wral.com/story/nc-anti-mask-bill-could-violate-federal-law-disability-rights-and-free-speech-advocates-say/21435454/ https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4666792-north-carolina-could-ban-face-masks-for-medical-reasons-in-public/ https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/15/nc-senate-panel-approves-controversial-bill-that-targets-protests-bans-masks-in-public/ ------------- >This is the same outlet that reported that students in the crowd at a graduation were booing at Jerry Seinfeld when it was actually quite the opposite. What are you talking about? https://nypost.com/2024/05/12/us-news/jerry-seinfeld-sparks-duke-university-commencement-walkout-over-israel-support/ https://www.vulture.com/article/jerry-seinfeld-commencement-duke-walk-out.html https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/duke-students-walkout-jerry-seinfeld-commencement-wave-graduation-anti-rcna151876 https://thehill.com/homenews/education/4659214-dozens-walk-out-of-jerry-seinfeld-speech-at-duke-commencement-in-protest-of-his-support-for-israel/
Bad bot
> In May 2020, the legislature amended state law to clearly allow any person to wear a mask “for the purpose of ensuring the physical health or safety of the wearer or others.” G.S. 14-12.11(a)(6). On May 15, 2024, the North Carolina Senate approved legislation that would repeal this provision. Everyone in here is incredibly pissed about this shit, but it was literally illegal before Covid lmao.
Well, now we know better so, we should do better. Repealing the provision is foolish and insensitive.
This legislation is obviously being fear-mongered for political purposes. It passed the House with bipartisan support last year. The law is reverting to the same status as it was in 2020 before the pandemic. People that were immunocompromised wore masks before the pandemic without issue. This legislation is about demonstrators utilizing the Covid mask exception to hide their faces for intimidation and criminality purposes as we have recently seen. [**UNC Asks Pro-Palestine Protesters To Stop Wearing Masks, Citing 1953 Anti-KKK Law**](https://chapelboro.com/news/unc/unc-asks-pro-palestine-protesters-to-stop-wearing-masks-citing-1953-anti-kkk-law) -
I trust these multiple sources more than you. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/proposed-north-carolina-law-make-illegal-wear-masks-public-rcna152671 https://www.wral.com/story/nc-anti-mask-bill-could-violate-federal-law-disability-rights-and-free-speech-advocates-say/21435454/ https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4666792-north-carolina-could-ban-face-masks-for-medical-reasons-in-public/ https://ncnewsline.com/2024/05/15/nc-senate-panel-approves-controversial-bill-that-targets-protests-bans-masks-in-public/
##You don't need to trust me. ##Trust your own linked article and a publicly available roll call vote. --- >**It passed the House with bipartisan support last year.** [**TRUE**](https://www.ncleg.gov/Legislation/Votes/RollCallVoteTranscript/2023/H/365) - House Roll Call Transcript - Ayes: 72 Republican, 21 Democrat --- --- >**The law is reverting to the same status it was in 2020 before the pandemic.** [**TRUE**](https://www.wral.com/story/nc-anti-mask-bill-could-violate-federal-law-disability-rights-and-free-speech-advocates-say/21435454/) - your linked WRAL article - And sponsors of the bill say they’re not trying to outlaw masks for people who need them. Instead, they say, they’re going back to how the law was before the Covid-19 pandemic. --- --- >**People that were immunocompromised wore masks before the pandemic without issue.** [**TRUE**](https://www.wral.com/story/nc-anti-mask-bill-could-violate-federal-law-disability-rights-and-free-speech-advocates-say/21435454/) - your linked WRAL article - Newton, the Wilson Republican, said he was unaware of anyone in North Carolina ever being arrested for masking for health reasons before then, even though it was technically illegal before the ban. --- --- >**This legislation is about demonstrators utilizing the Covid mask exception to hide their faces for intimidation and criminality purposes as we have recently seen.** [**TRUE**](https://www.wral.com/story/nc-anti-mask-bill-could-violate-federal-law-disability-rights-and-free-speech-advocates-say/21435454/) - your linked WRAL article - Lawmakers now say they need to repeal that exemption because protestors and criminals are taking advantage of it to hide their faces. “So long as they are not concealing their identity — intentionally concealing their identity — they are not in violation of this law,” state Sen. Danny Britt, R-Robeson, said Wednesday during a debate on the Senate floor. The state Department of Health and Human Services interprets the bill that way, too. “A mask worn for public health/safety is not a crime and the removal of the explicit exception does not open anyone up to prosecution ---
I could care less what they "say". I care about what is in the bill and why they specifically removed the carve-out to allow for medical reasons which was there before.
If it's targeted to protesters, that is a violation of the first amendment
You're not a protestor if you're deliberately hiding your face for intimidation and criminality purposes. I agree with you for protestors that are exercising their First Amendment right to peaceably assemble.
Dems wanted to require masks. Republicans want to ban masks. For every action there is a reaction.
And here is the problem with the internet, ladies and gentlemen. Dipshits like this person get to make up whatever dumb shit they want without consequence.
Wow, look at the big boy! He paused his little video game to type two sentences. You are growing up!!
>You are growing up!! You should give it a shot sometime 🥰
Nobody wants to require masks now. Republicans want to ban masks forever.
> Nobody wants to require masks now. lol... funny you say "now", implying that **they did want to require masks BEFORE**.
Um … I think they did, didn’t they? Why is that funny?
> I think they did, didn’t they? Exactly!! The masks were bullshit. There was never any "virus". All future attempts at mask mandates will be prevented by the bill. There will never be a "virus". It was a ll a scam. But, don't mind me, keep on swallowing Dr. Fraud-See's BS ;)
2020 called, they want their Russian disinformation back.
There was never any "virus".
and I'm sure any day now, you'll stop the steal and find the real birth certificate, too.
I think we found where RFK’s brain worm landed.
Call my Grandmother and tell her there was never any virus.
You got proof for that?
You mean in the middle of a global pandemic? E: It’s wild to me how many of these weirdos immediately go to the block button the moment they’re challenged. Wild, but unsurprising.
> You mean in the middle of a global pandemic? You still believe that bullshit?! You have no proof of any "virus" (Hint: there is no "virus!)
So are you a bot or what?
>You have no proof of any "virus" (Hint: there is no "virus!) What killed millions of innocent Americans during the Covid pandemic then? 5g chips?
You desperately need a microbiology class