Generally speaking, a person convicted of a felony is prohibited from possessing a firearm under both state and federal law. North Carolina General Statute § 14-415.1 states “t shall be unlawful for any person who has been convicted of a felony to purchase, own, possess, or have in his custody, care or control any firearm or weapon of mass death and destruction as defined in G.S. 14-288.8(c).” 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) is the federal prohibition against possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Despite these specific prohibitions, the North Carolina Supreme Court recently recognized that in narrow and extraordinary circumstances, a convicted felon may use a weapon in self-defense and assert “justification” as a defense to a prosecution for a violation of G.S. § 14-415.1