May 31, 2024, PRESS RELEASE Contact: Lon Anderson
BRUNSWICK COUNTY DEMOCRATS OBSERVE NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE DAY
Friday, June 7 is National Gun Violence Day, and the Brunswick County Democratic Party (BCDP) is planning to support this important event by participating in a “Wear Orange” rally in Wilmington to show support for survivors of gun violence.
Activities in support of a national initiative to end gun violence in America will take place across the country on Friday and throughout the weekend. Wilmington’s Wear Orange rally will be on Saturday, June 8, beginning at 11 a.m. The launch site is Greenfield Park, 1739 Burnett Boulevard. Rally supporters can sign up to attend at NC-Wilmington-Wear Orange.
“Each year, 1,588 North Carolinians die from gun violence, and 3,530 more are wounded,” said BCDP Chair Shelley Allen, adding our state has the 14th highest rate of gun violence in the U.S. “Like the vast majority of Americans, Brunswick County Democrats agree it’s too easy to legally obtain a gun in this country, favor stricter gun laws, support increasing the age for buying guns to 21, want to ban assault-style weapons, and oppose permitless concealed carry” (Pew Research).
For these reasons, Allen is inviting Brunswick Democrats to join her and party leadership at the Wear Orange rally.
The Freedom and Gun Violence “Where We Stand” paper details BCDP’s position on guns. It’s one of several papers outlining Brunswick County Democrats’ policies on critical local, state and national issues.
Allen expressed support for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a national law spearheaded by the Biden Administration. The new law enhances background checks, disarms domestic abusers, supports state red flag laws, invests in mental health services, funds school safety and community violence intervention programs, and cracks down on gun trafficking.
Allen also praised North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper for his NC S.A.F.E. Initiative to promote safer gun storage practices. The statewide campaign is intended to educate North Carolinians on safe firearm storage in order to save lives. This call to action promotes firearm safety in response to mounting numbers of deaths of youth from firearm injury, along with a surge in firearm thefts across North Carolina.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Project ChildSafe is a program to promote firearms safety and education and a source of free cable-style gun locks.
North Carolinians Against Gun Violence (NCGV) is a nonprofit dedicated to reducing gun death and injury.
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