What You Need To Know
Becky Ceartas is the Executive Director of the NCGV
She started pursuing advocacy for gun law reform after the Sandy Hook Massacre
She works with the public to educate and pushes policymakers to rethink, reframe and reconstruct gun laws
Becky Ceartas is the executive director of the North Carolinians Against Gun Violence. Like many, she too watched as the news unfolded of 19 children and two adults, who were killed by a gunman at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
“It is just horrific. It is a true tragedy to see all the lives that were lost. We have a true responsibility to protect our children,” Ceartas said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deemed firearm injuries a serious public health issue.
Related: Calls for action follow Texas shooting. Where do N.C. politicians stand on gun reform?
A group of researchers at the New England Journal of Medicine published a letter that analyzed years of CDC data related to children deaths. Their notes showed firearms are the leading cause of death for children in America.
In North Carolina, Ceartas said state law requires a permit for a pistol but not long guns, such as shotguns or rifles.
Ceartas said state lawmakers tried to pass a law to remove the pistol purchasing requirement last summer. At present, a person must be 21 years old before receiving a permit. The bill would have done away with the need to obtain a permit from a county sheriff before buying a pistol.
“It’s incredibly important that people realize what is happening at the General Assembly like the repeal of our Pistol Purchase Permitting System — like repealing our concealed carry weapons permitting system and how that will put North Carolinians in danger,” Ceartas said.
The NCGV works to change policy and educate the public. Their extensive Safe NC Report detailed how lenient gun laws can harm society at large. For example, language in the report indicates “North Carolina is routinely among states with the most firearms stolen annually. In 2019, North Carolina ranked third highest in the U.S. for firearms lost or stolen from FFL, with 576 firearms lost or stolen.”
“It’s been years since we’ve passed meaningful gun violence preventive legislation. We hope this recent tragedy will cause our lawmakers to wake up and realize that North Carolinians want to be protected from gun violence,” Ceartas said.
So far, opinion is split down familiar partisan lines in North Carolina, with Democrats calling for more gun regulations, and Republicans focusing instead on mental health treatment and school security.