DURHAM, N.C. — Last month's deadly shooting at a North Carolina high school made the news, but some worry that the daily threat of gun violence isn't getting enough attention.
Gun deaths have risen steadily in the past few years in the state, reaching an all-time high of more than 1,400 lives lost to gun-related incidents in 2016 — the latest data available from the Centers for Disease Control.
As a new state director for the group MomsRising, Jessica Burroughs is advocating for tougher gun laws. She said both of her sons' schools have had "close calls" in the past year.
"My son's elementary school went into lockdown when a parent in a custody dispute came to the school,” Burroughs said. “And then, my middle schooler's track meet was interrupted when an armed man ran onto the field after a robbery nearby."
Experts say there's no one reason the numbers are rising, but they aren't waiting for the next school shooting to happen. Grassroots groups and those familiar with the issue from across the state are gathering to discuss such issues as mental health and school safety, with the goal of presenting legislation for the 2019 session.
The North Carolina Council of Churches is one of the organizations working to identify the best ways to change the conversation about gun violence prevention. Executive Director Jennifer Copeland said she’s concerned that much of the focus is on the high-profile shootings.
"Mass shootings are horrible and they capture the imagination of the general public, but on a day-to-day basis, that's not where the majority of the gun violence occurs,” Copeland said. “The majority of the gun violence occurs off of the record. It's not on the nightly news."
Copeland said she also worries that more people think they need to carry a gun in order to feel safe. One recent report showed the number of concealed-carry permits issued in North Carolina climbed from about 68,000 to about 107,000 between 2015 and 2016.
Burroughs and others are looking for reforms, like a ban on bump-stocks and military assault rifles. Most of all, she said, she wants her children to feel safe.
"And the day after the Pittsburgh shooting, as I was driving my kids to the synagogue for religious school, they were both crying and pleading with me to take them home, saying they did not feel safe at the synagogue,” Burroughs said. “And I told them that we must be strong and continue to practice our faith."
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Missouri Democrats have filed legislation which would prompt a vote to return gun possession rules to local governments. The move was prompted by a deadly shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory parade.
In 2021, Gov. Mike Parsons signed the Second Amendment Preservation Act, a controversial law preventing federal law from overreaching on a person's right to bear arms.
Law enforcement agencies with officers who knowingly enforce any federal laws could be sued and fined up to $50,000.
Rep. Cristal Quade, D-Springfield, the House Minority Leader, called the parade shooting an example of the state's weak gun laws.
"Law enforcement officers are begging and pleading with us to allow them to do their jobs," Quade pointed out. "The basics of juveniles in the city being able to carry guns and cops pulling them over and not being able to take them from them. And to the speaker's comment, laws don't fix things. Then what the hell are we doing as lawmakers? Why are we here at all?"
Majority Republicans scrapped a bill which would have allowed concealed guns in transit and places of worship. They did, however, attempt to change Missouri's initiative petition process, which would have made any proposals -- like this one for local control or abortion rights -- difficult to pass.
Quade argued voters should have the opportunity to let local officials pass common-sense gun laws reflecting the needs of their communities. She contended House majority leaders are just tiptoeing around the issue.
"They keep saying that they need to pass these bills to make Missourians safer," Quade observed. "Obviously, they know that it will not make Missourians safer. What they're doing is trying to score political pointed for these primaries where they're running against each other and they are using our children as political fodder."
Platte County Democrat Ashley Aune tried to speak about gun violence in the House on Tuesday, and posted video footage that appeared to show Republicans shutting her down, with someone telling the House speaker, "I think she should just sit."
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New legislation under consideration by Kentucky lawmakers would allow police to confiscate guns from people whose family members are concerned about their mental health, by petitioning for a Crisis Aversion Rights Retention Order.
Senate Bill 13 would also create an Office for Safer Communities.
Cathy Hobart - the chapter leader of Kentucky Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America - said the bill is aimed at preventing tragic situations from happening, especially in cases where others suspect possible suicide, homicide, or a mass shooting.
"If they thought there really was an immediate danger, they would petition a judge to administer the protective order," said Hobart. "And, this is really a way to protect the gun owner in those times of crisis."
The Commonwealth continues to have some of the weakest gun laws in the country. According to Everytown USA, Kentucky ranks 40th among states for rates of gun violence.
According to Kentucky Youth Advocates, in 2020 91% of homicide deaths occurred in children between ages 1 and 17, and around 66% of these deaths involved firearms.
Hobart said gun-violence legislation in previous years has been slow to move through the Legislature, but she remains hopeful.
"For the first time," said Hobart, "our legislators are talking about gun-violence prevention in a way that they haven't, in the last five years, since I've been involved in the movement."
This April marks the one-year anniversary of the Old National Bank Shooting in Louisville, where a 25-year-old man killed five of his work colleagues, and critically injured a police officer.
A Louisville Metro Police Department report revealed the gunman's mental-health struggles and his intent to commit a mass shooting.
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Virginia's Senate recently passed a series of gun safety bills, which now head to the House.
Among them are measures to ban assault weapons in public, ban "ghost guns," and increasing other safety measures.
The bills come as many states and the federal government are taking a hard look at gun violence. Last year, Virginia saw a reduction in gun violence, due in part to community violence prevention funds. But the state still ranks high for gun deaths.
Kelsey Cowger, press secretary for Progress VA, said based on other state progress, the bills are essential to keeping Virginians safe.
"When movement has been possible, it's been a base that we can work off of that stops the insane level of killing within our communities that already exists and allows us to catch our breath a little bit," Cowger asserted.
Some Republicans in both General Assembly chambers oppose the bills, noting they restrict a person's 2nd Amendment rights. Yet, polls show the bills have widespread support across party lines. The measures have been referred to the House Committee on Public Safety.
Cowger contended the bills are a steady foundation for Virginia to build on. While other reforms can prove crucial for reducing gun violence further, she stressed the state needs to get this current set of legislation on the books first.
"You know, as much as I would like to sort of look with an eye towards the future for the kind of changes we can make, I feel like we just need the foundation first," Cowger acknowledged. "We need to be able to gauge whether or not dangerous people have guns."
National gun violence deaths have been declining since they peaked in 2021. In Virginia, there have been more than 9,300 shootings between 2014 and 2022, which resulted in more injuries than fatalities.
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