Weather notwithstanding, things have not been very pretty here in North Carolina the past few weeks. The N.C. General Assembly's fully GOP'ed House and Senate have begun dismembering municipal powers and authorities hour by hour in ways that seem unfathomable. There's a bill coming before the senate on Tuesday that calls for concealing records on concealed-gun permits. Gov. Pat McCrory refused to expand Medicaid in accordance with the Affordable Care Act, leaving 700,000 North Carolinians without access to health care and losing valuable federal funds the state needs to recover from the worst recession since the Great Depression.
The list is endless, dreary -- and a call to action.
Several citizen-lobby groups have heeded the call to address an issue vital to public safety: gun violence in our state and nation. We're visiting U.S. and N.C. lawmakers one by one to talk with them about our own experiences with gun violence and our suggestions and recommendations for common-sense laws to address our nation's gun culture. We've visited Washington DC as part of Moms Take the Hill Day, and as individual efforts to meet with lawmakers from North Carolina. We've traveled to Dunn NC, where Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC-2) both packs a concealed weapon and featured placards around her office warning that nobody else is permitted to do so. We've talked in cafes and office buildings with state lawmakers (Democrats, Republicans, and Independents), delivering petitions and notecards from our friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers. We've sat in on committee meetings and been featured in newspapers and broadcast news.
And we have grown. The Cary Kitchen Table Group started in January with a gathering of around 20 individuals. Less than two months later, we've grown to more than 350 members.
Imagine our delight this past week, when we learned that our efforts have been joined by Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Organizing for Action. Both have sent organizers to coordinate with us to expand our efforts and amplify our voices. And we are fired up and ready to go!
If you're in the Triangle region this Thursday, March 28, please join us in Durham and/or Raleigh to lend your voice to the call for action.