Governor Cooper Announces the First Office of Violence Prevention in the South

North Carolinians Against Gun Violence and our coalition partners commend Governor Cooper for signing an Executive Order creating an Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) today. This is the first such office in the South. NCGV's coalition partners include:  Community Justice Action Fund, Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention, Giffords, Equal Justice USA, Gate City Coalition, Boots on the Ground, NC Black Alliance, MomsRising, and the North Carolina Council of Churches.

At the signing ceremony, Governor Cooper said, “All of us deserve to feel safe in our homes, our schools and our communities. This new office will help coordinate the efforts to reduce violent crime, tackle both intentional and careless gun injuries and deaths, and work to keep people safe.”

This Office of Violence Prevention will offer training and technical assistance, issue best practice guidance and model processes, facilitate cross-jurisdictional information sharing, conduct public awareness campaigns, share data, collaborate with research institutions, and identify and apply for funding from federal and philanthropic sources.

Becky Ceartas said, “Today the Governor further demonstrated his dedication to preventing gun violence by creating an Office of Violence Prevention. He is focused on promoting evidence based public health solutions. Preventing gun violence takes a multifaceted approach. Coordination among state agencies and supporting grassroots programs are critical to addressing this problem. We need to address the root causes of gun violence."

Offices of Violence Prevention have been implemented in half a dozen states. These Offices are reducing gun violence by bringing together state agencies, nonprofits and researchers to enhance violence prevention efforts. They have improved the implementation of current laws to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous people, led safe gun storage campaigns, and dedicated millions of dollars to community violence intervention programs to interrupt cycles violence in Black and Brown communities most impacted by gun violence. We are thrilled that North Carolina will join this list of states and be at the forefront of addressing the crisis of gun violence in a comprehensive and equitable manner.