The Guilford County Board of Commissioners had planned to spend the majority of the Thursday, June 2 meeting talking about the upcoming 2022-2023 county budget.
However, due to the recent mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas that left 19 students and two teachers dead, the commissioners devoted much of their meeting to address gun violence. Several commissioners spoke on the issue before the board adopted a resolution declaring gun violence in the county a public health crisis.
The board also took action to get all relevant community leaders working together.
Before the reading of the resolution by Commissioner Carly Cooke, Vice-chair of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Carlvena Foster offered some lengthy impassioned remarks about the need to protect residents against gun violence – especially gun violence in schools.
Foster said the effort to prevent gun violence in Guilford County needs to be a top priority and everyone must work together.
“The work begins anew today,” Foster said. “Take a stand.”
Cooke, who also spoke at length, was on the verge of tears when she recounted seeing the faces of young school children who had to go through frightening school shooter drills.
Leaders from Guilford County Schools, Emergency Services, law enforcement agencies, the Guilford County Family Justice Center and other key players stood in front of the board to show their solidarity in addressing the problem.
The resolution stated that gun violence is “a significant problem in the United States that affects people in all stages of life, from infants to the elderly,” and that the effects of gun violence “extend far beyond these casualties, as it shapes and reshapes the lives of those who experience the loss of a friend or loved one to gun violence or experience constant fear in their daily lives of when another unexpected firearm attack might occur.”
The resolution also included statistics. It stated that, annually, about 45,000 people in the country are killed as a result of gun-related homicides and suicides – and that nearly 85,000 people are injured as a result of accidents involving firearms each year.
It also notes that “firearms passed motor vehicles as one of the leading causes of death in children in 2020.”
Guilford County averages 217 gun-related deaths every year, and, in 2019, of 1,526 violent deaths in the county, 79 percent were deemed to be due to guns.
The board’s resolution declared that gun violence is a public health crisis and that the board is committed “to prioritizing our existing networks and relationships with our local municipalities, community partners, and community members to establish an evidence-based public health response to address the underlying social, economic, and systemic factors that promote gun violence.”
In the future, commissioners will get regular progress reports regarding the new efforts to combat gun violence.
I think tough law enforcement would go a long way in helping with this issue. Further, strong laws against selling assault weapons to the public would be huge in confronting this problem. Then the mental health discussion needs to get serious.
There is no such thing as an assault rifle as far as guns owned by the public go. That is a liberal/media buzzword. The AR-15 is probably the gun most people think of when the assault rifle misnomer is used. AR stands for Arma-Lite, not Assault Rifle. It’s the name of the company which makes the weapon. That rifle, and any other typically grouped into that category is just a semi automatic rifle, not much different from the M1 of WWII or your dad’s hunting rifle from the 60s or 70s. Its just a rifle that is not bolt action or single shot, thats it. Nothing special.
I think the Texas tower shooter from back in the day, and on of America’s first active shooters, killed a bunch of folks with his bolt action. Hell, a guy with a brace of single shot black powder pistols can take out as many people as he has the loads for. It’s not the weapon, it’s the guy using it that you need to worry about.
How about we look at the people and the issues motivating them rather than blaming guns. Don’t forget about the routine sprees of guys driving through crowds when they can’t get hold of a gun. The Boston bombers used pressure cookers, stabbing sprees in Europe, you name it. A motivated killer is going to kill, whether he has access to a gun or not.
Don’t fall for political catch phrases and scare tactics. People are the problem, not guns.
please define an assault weapon
Here we go. This is the County Commissioners laying the groundwork for them to try to apply the COVID health emergency BS to gun control. Brace for the government overreach.
More fear mongering BS. Local government has little influence over gub laws.
You know that less than a year ago Nancy and Co were on the cusp of passing an ordinance that could and would shut down any alcohol related business that had a violent incident on its property. Only massive public outcry slowed their roll. Don’t kid yourself that local government won’t try a power grab whenever they see the opportunity.
yes
The LEFT is using murders as a push to end our right of self-defense AND tyranny. Not a peep about all the black on black murders in Democrat-run cities (like ours).
It is the CRIMINAL who is responsible, not the weapon. We all know this, including the LEFT. They are all-in on defending the mid-terms where the bumbling Federal Govt will wipe them out.
Or maybe. Just maybe. The left is sick and tired of the rights ‘more guns in the street’ strategy not working. Now the right wants to blame schools for shootings because they didn’t turn their buildings into Fort Knox.
get rid drugs and punk ass kids
War on drugs. Another losing strategy.
But “gun violence” is not a public health crisis, is it? The Coronavirus Pandemic was a public health crisis. The Spanish Flu of 1918 was a public health crisis. “Gun violence” is a criminal crisis, fomented by the lawlessness of Antifa and BLM in the Summer of 2020. The weak, inadequate response of the law enforcement apparatus of the state essentially flashed a green light to all American criminals, and potential criminals.
And so we now suffer a pandemic of criminality, and “gun violence”.
So the hundreds of dead and wounded bodies on the streets isn’t a health crisis? I thought the Right wanted to limited the problem to mental health? What a joke.
Of course they’re not a health crisis. Are the dozens who are shot dead every weekend in Chicago a health crisis?
Please try to use accurate language – if you can. But that requires accurate thinking… so it might be too much to ask of you.
Yes, the gun deaths in Chicago are a health crisis. Especially since it is now the leading cause of death for children.
Chicago and Illinois have some of the toughest gun laws in the country. Guess what? Criminals involved in gang activity or “keeping it real” do not give a s&*& about the law.
So were car crashes, which are the usual leading cause of death for children and still pretty much tied for number one, a health crisis? I don’t recall any uproar over all the cars killing kids over the last few years. But wait… aren’t there all these laws about cars and how to use them safely? Car seats, DWI car seizures, seat belts, etc. and yet kids keep dying in cars. This is crazy. We must need even more laws. Or let’s blame the cars and not the drivers. Or let’s ban kids from being in cars to keep them safe.
Sound dumb? Yeah, that’s the same argument being made over guns. There are already plenty of laws in place for both guns and cars, yet neither is slowing the rate of deaths by both devices. No law is going to do that because criminals, by their very nature, do not obey the law. Maybe, however, we should take a second look at bail reform and the lax sentencing habits that we have gotten ourselves into. A bad guy cannot re-offend if he’s in jail.
yes
and that’s the way the left planned it to be……..
How about Mental Health as a substitute?
So will Commissioners join the Libertarian party to end our government killing folks all over the world with guns bough and paid for with tax dollars? Will they stop buying guns for their security forces to make sure they aren’t tools of death? Will they stop collecting taxes at the barrel of a gun? Or will law abiding citizens get more lip service, egregious spending, and more of the same nanny state knowitallism that perpetuates the creation of criminals and destruction of family units.
This has nothing to do with protecting anyone, it serves two purposes: A self serving political stunt by incumbents on the board, and to check the box early on to beg for any federal grant money coming for the cause. Any way you slice it its always about the same two things with this board. Power & Money. Prove me wrong.
Did the commissioners fix the problem of gun violence by this declaration? Are the citizens of Greensboro better off now after this declaration? Did the commissioners get out of bed this morning padding themselves on the back because they “DID SOMETHING”? If they would make decisions that make US all feel better about life WE would ALL be more at peace. PEACE with ourselves and each other is the answer.
Apparently all of modern conservatives are terrified of anyone doing anything about the massive number of gun deaths and injuries in this country. Well except adding more guns to the problem. Cowards all of em…
Government overreach with a dose of virtue signaling and no real meaningful change like stop and frisk in downtown where we just had another shooting at the Depot.
This is another’big ploy ‘ for the commissioners to try and interfere with sale of any gun(any).On the federal level the president hinted in his old and mixed up way of reading his teleprompter ,indicated the second amendment was not something that he was comfortable with.
Any sane and only a little bit of intelligence person in the US could analyze the killing problem as “Mentally Deranged “.This means that a person that needs mentally is going to and will harm whomever or whatever gets in his path. Most of the blacks that police have killed have had a major mental problem,this includes George Floyd .
Folks let me be real honest , if the Democrats local and National continue to lead our nation and state within 5-7 years we will be like the Cubans,Venezuelans ,and even Russia.They have destroyed our college age children and now they are going after our kindergarten children with all the ‘woke’ philosophy.WAKE up Americans and Do something before it’s too late Maybe I should say wake Democrats before you totally destroy America as we have know it.
I grieve for America because I have lived a long life ,but there are enough you people who read this can help salvage an America .
Guns are not the problem,it’s the crazy or mentally deranged person with the gun.
Oh no!!!…they want to promote a culture that accepts those that are different than ourselves? My god, that will destroy America? Modern republicans should be able to raise their kids with hate for those that are different without interference of those that teach love and kindness. (in case you are a nutter, this is intended to be read with sarcasm)
yes
Please, please, PLEASE tell me Republican/conservative Commissioners did not vote for this. If they did, they are dead to me.
There aren’t “assault weapons” or “weapons of war” sold to the public and these terms are misused for propaganda purposes. There is a limit on the number of rounds allowed in magazines in guns, some states limit them more than others.
There isn’t a public health crisis due to gun violence. Comparing stats of car deaths to shooting deaths of kids involves a lot of variables that don’t make a direct number comparison a legitimate one – ie: more seatbelt use, safer cars, more mental health issues, more gang issues, increasing single-parent homes… There are increasingly lax punishments for violent criminals, more and more criminals who re-offend, more states that have dropped charges for “minor” offenses, criminals who have been released without serving their full sentences by governors and attorney generals, mental health “professionals” who have widened the definitions of mental illness status guidelines to create new areas allowing criminals to have excuses for escaping punishment. Since the late 1950s liberals have been pushing for laws and medical guidelines that help and assist criminals who they claim are underserved due to being minorities or poor instead of seeking justice for those harmed by their actions of violence and anti-social behaviors.
Ending gun violence isn’t the goal of liberals. Taking away guns from citizens is. The First and Second Amendments of our Constitution are its foundation and the basis of our freedom in this country. They are the foundation and the architecture of our government. Without the freedom to speak and the right to protect ourselves from a government that keeps us from speaking the rest of our Constitution means nothing. Our founders gave us these two amendments to make sure we the people were the government, and that those that we gave the privelage to be our representatives did not take that control from us and become our dictators, our tyrants.
We must not let emotions and progressive liberals who take advantage of each crisis resulting from gun violence become a focus on the Second Ammendment when it should be a focus on criminal law, criminal punishment, the judicial system, mental health treatment, our social system, our families, our churches, our morals, the lack of community and social unity in this country that’s been brought about by both political parties.
Amazing. They won’t be satisfied until they can tell you what coffee you can drink, what you can have in it, and when/where you can possess it. Watch your cornhole, they’re probably coming for it next.
Democrats pass resolution that takes no action, makes no commitment to taking action and only notes that the number of gun deaths and injuries is out of control…Modern Conservatives heads explode with fear about ability to drink coffee with cream. Yup. The label nutter needs to be brought back out.
No gun problems here. Mandate Mayor and city council bought out the local gun show to the tune of $800,000.
Useful idiots.