Brunswick Beacon, 06.30.22
Some people are trying to stop the bleeding in our schools. NC Congressmen Budd and Rouzer want folks carrying concealed weapons allowed in. This is a problem, not a solution. The federal Gun-Free School Zones Act prohibits concealed carry in a school zone, defined as within 1,000 feet from the grounds of a public, parochial or private school.
H.R.38, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, requires states to recognize concealed carry permits issued by other states, no matter how lax the standards in the issuing state. Ten states have NO requirements whatsoever for concealed carry.
Even worse, H.R.38 overrides the Gun-Free School Zones Act and permits gunmen to travel to another state and carry concealed weapons into schools without regard to federal law! H.R.38 is a top priority for the gun lobby, which gave $198,000 to Rouzer’s campaigns, and $163,000 to Budd’s. Budd is also the owner of a multi-million-dollar gun business. Dutifully, they co-sponsored H.R.38 and voted for it in 2017, co-sponsored it again in 2019, and co-sponsored it yet again in 2021.
We’ve heard a lot of debate about the causes of gun violence. One thing that is beyond debate is that more guns lead to more gun deaths. States with low gun ownership rates (Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New York, Connecticut, Hawaii) have low gun death rates. States with high gun ownership rates (Alaska, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, West Virginia, Arkansas) have high gun death rates. Children will be less safe if we expose them to more guns in school.
Uvalde, Texas Dr. Roy Guerrero described “children whose bodies had been pulverized by bullets fired at them, decapitated, whose flesh had been ripped apart.” Nineteen law enforcement officers with guns didn’t save them.
Budd and Rouzer want to make schools safe for gunmen with concealed weapons. How does this make our kids safer?
Claudia Tidwell
Leland
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