To legally carry a concealed handgun in North Carolina, a person must receive a permit from the county sheriff.  When considering an application for a permit, the sheriff is required to apply the criteria set out in G.S. 14-415.12.  Among other requirements, the applicant must be at least 21, must be a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the U.S., and must have successfully completed an approved firearms training course.  Several other factors also prevent the sheriff from issuing a permit to an applicant, such as the applicant’s ineligibility to possess a firearm under Federal law, conviction of a felony, adjudication of mental illness, or discharge from the military under less than honorable conditions.  Also, quite sensibly, one of the requirements for issuing a permit is that the applicant “does not suffer from a physical or mental infirmity that prevents the safe handling of a handgun.”  If none of the statutory restrictions applies, and the applicant otherwise meets all of the criteria, the sheriff “shall” issue the permit.  G.S. 14-415.12.