Mayors from North Carolina and around the country are in Washington, D.C., this week for a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. One issue they are discussing is gun violence.
"I was getting a little disheartened with what was happening in our community," Chris Suggs, a North Carolina native from Kinston, told Spectrum News.
He said he made that realization at a very young age about the city he loves. Suggs also said gun violence took a physical and emotional toll on his classmates.
"I was very frustrated with our local government," Suggs said. "They were never engaging young people and we were the people most impacted by the problem."
At the age of just 14, he found a group called “Kinston Teens” to work with young people to combat violence.
Gun violence is an issue mayors meeting in Washington have had to deal with in their communities.
Soon after assuming office, President Joe Biden issued a series of executive orders to crack down on gun violence. His order also included an effort to crack down on so-called ghost guns — homemade firearms without identifying serial numbers.
And last year, Congress passed its first significant gun safety legislation in decades.
Mayor Elaine M. O’Neal of Durham, a city that’s struggled with gun violence for years, said that banning semi-automatic military-style weapons is critical.
"I don’t think any human being who’s not in a war should have access to that gun power," O’Neal said.
Kinston's Mayor Don Hardy says collaboration is key to tackling gun violence.
"We all have to work together, federal, state, local and communication is key as to how to we do so," Hardy told Spectrum News. "And we have to have red tape removed so we can work and get this accomplished."
As for Suggs, he says he is "glad now to have a seat at the table."
Having once been frustrated with the local government, Suggs – now 22 – is a member of Kinston's City Council.
He is reportedly the youngest elected official in the state and hopes for the chance to change things from the inside.
