John --
Yesterday Governor Cooper signed a far reaching gun safety Executive
Directive that orders increased actions by state agencies such as
closing crime-reporting gaps between the state and federal agencies,
expanding firearm safety and crime prevention efforts, and working to
reduce suicides. .
North Carolinians Against Gun Violence applauds Governor Cooper for
taking real steps to address our gun violence epidemic in its various
forms.
The Governor’s Executive Directive orders the following:
- The State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) will continue working to
make federal background checks more reliable by ensuring more criminal
convictions are reported to the National Instant Criminal Background
Check System (NICS). Since 2018, the SBI has identified 284,289
criminal convictions unreported in the NICS database.
- Background checks are only useful if criminal convictions will be
revealed by those background checks, and those convictions will only
be revealed if they are reported to NICS. This is critical to ensuring
safety.
- The SBI will provide behavioral threat assessment training to
local law enforcement agencies to help them connect individuals
identified as a potential risk of harm to others with supportive
community services. We know that these types of community intervention
programs work. For example, High Point has had an effective deterrence
program in place for 21 years that has helped reduce violent
crime.
- The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will promote
safe storage of personal firearms to help reduce the estimated 81,000
North Carolina children living in homes with unlocked and loaded
firearms.
- DHHS will convene a coalition of suicide prevention stakeholders
to update the state’s suicide prevention plan. In 2016, 58% of all
suicide deaths in the state involved firearms.
Governor Cooper says: “Wishing, praying, and sending condolences
alone just aren’t enough to prevent these tragedies. We have to take
action.”
We agree. And we are heartened that the Governor is indeed taking
action.
We are glad that you have chosen to take action with North
Carolinians Against Gun Violence. Our work is fueled by you and our
supporters throughout the state with your actions and donations.
Please consider volunteering
with and/or donating
to us today.
--Becky
p.s. Here
is The Raleigh News & Observer’s story on the Governor’s
directive.
NCGV
http://www.ncgv.org/