2021 Legislative Agenda
The 2021 legislative session has begun in North Carolina. Our partners at North Carolinians Against Gun Violence (NCGV) have put together a comprehensive agenda of evidence-based policies with bipartisan support in North Carolina or other states.
We fully support the legislative agenda put forth by NCGV. As bills start moving, we will amplify action alerts letting you know about specific legislation along with actions you can take. Your voice matters!
Please continue reading for the full agenda with details on specific policy:
Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO) legislation
We will continue advocating for ERPO legislation because it has been proven effective. It has had bipartisan support in other states. (See our ERPO fact sheet for more.)
State-wide safe firearm storage campaign
We will advocate for legislation to fund a statewide safe storage educational campaign and distribution of free gun locks. (Fact sheet)
Funding for Violence Intervention and Prevention Programs
We will support NCGV’s work with the Governor’s office, his Crime Commission, the General Assembly, and our stakeholders to find funds to support Community-Based Violence Interruption and Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs that are proven effective in reducing every day interpersonal violence. Great summary on these programs from our friends at Everytown here.
Legislation requiring all gun owners to report lost and stolen firearms
Currently, federal law only requires federally licensed firearms retailers to report lost/stolen firearms. We will advocate for a law to require the reporting of all lost or stolen guns, even if they are from individual gun owners. (Fact sheet)
Fighting Harmful Legislation
NCGV strongly opposes the following:
- Arming NC educators and school staff (fact sheet)
- Legislation weakening NC’s pistol purchase permitting system and/or concealed carry weapons permitting system (see our permitless carry fact sheet)
- Attempts to pass the Second Amendment Protection Act (fact sheet)
- Other bills weakening current firearm laws, or bills expanding the number of places where firearms can be carried.
Gun violence prevention has long been a racial equity matter. More Blacks favor restrictions on access to guns; more whites are gun rights advocates (“What the ‘black-on-black crime’ fallacy misses about race and gun deaths,” Shirley Carswell, The Washington Post, July 8, 2020). Guns, however, are not the panacea protection that gun rights advocates claim. Guns are dangerous and more guns are more dangerous. Many Black people know first-hand that more guns mean more gun deaths, having attended the funerals of their parents, siblings, and children caught in gun violence cross-fire. White people know this as well, though through a different statistic: over seventy percent of gun suicides are white men. Again, more guns mean more gun deaths. We have stated in the past that Americans have a strange relationship to their guns, in some instances verging on idolism. The idea of owning a gun, or at least having the right to own one, is raised to the level of religious frenzy without regard to the real harm happening in our communities.
We hope the resources you find here will help tell a different story, a more accurate story, and provide the tools needed to start saving lives.
NC Council of Churches
- Legislative Bulletin: Gun Violence Prevention
- Voices Archive (Op-eds)
- Statement from the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director
- Stand Up Sabbath
Member Denomination Resources
- Alliance of Baptists
- Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
- Episcopal Church
- Bishops United Against Gun Violence
- Episcopalians Against Gun Violence (part of Bishops United as listed above)
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, A 60-Day Journey Toward Justice in a Culture of Gun Violence
- Mennonite Church USA, Prevention Gun Violence Guide
- Metropolitan Community Churches, National Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath Resources
- Presbyterian Church, USA
- Religious Society of Friends
- United Church of Christ
- Justice and Witness Ministries, Overcoming Violence Bible Study
- United Methodist Church
Other Faith-Based Resources
- Baptist Peace Fellowship/Bautistas por la Paz, Gun Violence Prevention Congregational Toolkit
- Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Worship Guide
- Dominican Sisters of Peace (Catholic religious order)
- Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence
- National Council of Churches, Resolution and Call to Action
- Rabbis Against Gun Violence, Stand Up Shabbat Resource Packet
- Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
- Unitarian Universalist Association
- U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
- Washington National Cathedral, Gun Violence Prevention Toolkit
- A Case Study in Hope: Lessons from Oakland’s Remarkable Reduction in Gun Violence
- Annual Gun Law Scorecard
- Gun Violence Across America
- Gun Safety in North Carolina; A Discussion Guide
- Healing Communities in Crisis: Lifesaving Solutions to the Urban Gun Violence Epidemic
- Investing in Intervention: The Critical Role of State-Level Support in Breaking the Cycle of Urban Gun Violence
- Know the Laws: North Carolina
- The Landscape of Gun Deaths in North Carolina
- Learn what it takes to keep America Safe
- North Carolina Domestic Violence and Guns
- North Carolina State Law Summary
- Want to fix gun violence in America? Go local.
- Tell Congress to act to end gun violence
- Send a Letter to the Editor of your local paper
- Share how gun violence has impacted you
- Encourage your local mayor to join Mayors Against Illegal guns
- Request a “No Guns” sticker for your place of worship by emailing beck@ncgv.org
- Host a film screening of:
NC House Sustains Veto & Defeats the Second Amendment Protection Act
Just last week, Governor Cooper vetoed H652, the Second Amendment Protection Act. This bill would have legalized the carrying of concealed firearms at places of worship associated with schools, weakened our concealed carry weapons permitting system, and allowed EMS personnel to concealed carry when on the job with police. A big thanks goes out to all of our supporters and partners for making calls and emailing representatives to stop this dangerous bill.
RELEVANT NEWS
- 4 Reasons Not to Buy Guns in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
- The CARES Act: Opportunities for Funding Community-based Violence Prevention and Intervention Work
- Everytown Announces New Initiative With Interfaith Leaders and Organizations to Mobilize People of Faith Around Gun Safety in 2020
- Guidelines for Safe Storage of Firearms
- NC Gun Violence Prevention Coalition Statement on School Safety
- North Carolinians Against Gun Violence (NCGV) Statement on Open-Carry in NC During COVID-19 Stay at Home Orders
