Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / June 27, 2002, edition 1 / Page 10
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State gun control supporters pushing bill that may reduce gun trafficking ? Bill calls for creation of special task force anil details of buyers' mental history BY T. KEVIN WAKER Tti) C HRONK l.t After striking out several times in the General Assem bly, gun control advocates are hoping for a home run with newly introduced legislation that aims to cut the rate of gun trafficking in the state. Sen. Howard l.ee (D Orange County) and Reps Jennifer Weiss ( D-Wake County) and David Miner (R Wake County) sponsored and introduced legislation last week that would create a gun trafficking task force com prised of state, local and fed eral enforcement agencies. The task force would be charged with identifying and coordinating ways to do away with gun trafficking. The leg islation also calls for increased sentences for those convicted of deliberately defacing serial numbers on guns and for felons in possession of guns. The state's background check system would also he revised to include mental health records, if tjye legislation is approved. "(The legislation) has Democrat and Republican sponsors, which is really unusual for a gun bill," said Jonathan Wilson, outreach coordinator for North Car olinians Against Gun Vio lence. The Raliegh-based gun control organization is joining forces with Americans for Gun Safety to promote the legisla tion. A study sponsored by AGS spurred the push for the legislation The study shows that North Carolina is the sev enth largest supplier of guns used in out-of-state crimes, putting it ahead of states such as New York and Michigan. Supporters say the prongs ot" the legislation will make it easier for law enforcement to track the history of guns, giv ing officials clues to help end gun trafficking. "The Gun Trafficking Interdiction Act will be the most aggressive attempt in thV nation to infiltrate and destroy the illegal gun trafficking mar ket," said Sen. Lee. "Through law enforcement, we are going to piece- together the puzzle on every gun crime to find out how that criminal got that gun...Once we have this infor mation. it is only a matter of time befoje we successfully investigate, arrest, prosecute and incarcerate the gutless perpetrators who are fueling the violent crimes on our streets." Gov. Easley and several law enforcement groups have also thrown their supptfti behind the legislation. "We are supporting this legislation because we beligve that the Gun Trafficking Inter diction Act will make North Carolina safet1 and make our officers safer," Tom Younce, legislative director of the N.C. Association of Chiefs of Police, said in a written state ment. "There is a major gun trafficking problem in our state. Whether it is guns bought in North Carolina that are trafficked up the coast, or guns that are bought here and trafficked to neighboring cities and towns." Supporters want the legis lation passed during the Gen eral Assembly's current ses sion. But bills pushed by gun control lobbies rarely are put on the fast track in the Gener al Assembly. Recently, gun control groups pushed for stronger gun safety laws and the closing of gun show limp holes, both measures have lan guished in committees. Wilson calls the legislation a "no-brainer" because gun control supporters insist that nothing contained in the bill would make it more difficult for law-abiding citizens to purchase guns. Supporters also say that passage of the bill would not cost the state anything because federal funds could be used to fund the creation and functions of the task force. With financial backing from AGS. North Carolinians Against Gun Violence is try ing to mount a massive public relations effort around the leg islation. aimed at getting state residents so excited about the bill that residents will person ally contact their representa tives to lobby for the bill's passage. Lee File Photo Guns bought in North Carolina are often used to carry out crimes in others state, according to a report. Members of the Black Leadership Roundtable call for a death penalty moratorium outside of the Forsyth County Hall of Justice in 2001. Black Leadership Roundtable conveners Larry Womble and Khalid Griggs presnt a check to the mayor of Princeville in 2000. The group raised thousands for the town. SLR Ifitm page AI "45 or 20 years because of all Ihe things ,we have been lnjolved in." said State Rep. Larry Womble. a co-convener _of the roundtable. "Taking ? important stands on issues has helped to enhance the round table and has given us a repu tation in this city as a group that will stand up for what is right." " The city's original Black Leadership Roundtable start .ed in the 1980s, but quickly died out because of myriad reason. The rejuvenated organization has kept busy. Over the past few years, the roundtable has also raised thousands of dollars to help the flood-ravaged town of Princeville. and taken strong stances on a death penalty moratorium (the group sup ports temporarily halting the punishment) and the recent school bond referendum (the roundtable came out strongly in favor of the bonds which passed overwhelming last year). The theme at last week's celebration was "African Americans and Africa: Keep ing the Connection.'' Several Siberians are members of the roundtable. Natives of that West African nation drove home the theme by preparing a variety of Liberian dishes for the occasion. The children of Seth O. Lartey. pastor of Goler and a native of Liberia, and his wife, Jacqueline, an African American, served as so-called "connectors." The children presented facts about the vast continent of Africa as part of the anniversary cele bration. Four prominent city resi dents were honored at the cel ebration for contributing to the roundtable. financially and in other ways. The hon orees were Nigel Alston, an executive at GMAC Insur ance; Dr. Charlie Kennedy, a popular local pediatrician; Ernie Pitt, the publisher of The Chronicle; and Michael Suggs, a public affairs execu tive at R.J.. Reynolds. Mayor Allen Joines was among the special guests at the celebration. Joines applauded and congratulated roundtable members for their work. "You have been the voice of our community in many respects." he told roundtable members. "Sometimes you gently nudged us into the right direction and sometimes you not so gently nudged us in the right direction." Roundtable Co-convener Khalid Griggs can't pick just one highlight from the organi zation's relatively short past. "Each one of the activities that we were involved in were special in their own way," Griggs said. Griggs said the round table's greatest achievement has been its ability to be a voice for the voiceless. Womble and Griggs, the two heads of the organization, insist that it is not them but members and supporters of the group that keep it afloat. People like. Linda Sutton, the group's longtime secretary. Sutton received a special award at the celebration for her dedication to the group. Sutton said the roundtable has been a perfect outlet for her need to be involved and active. "I have always considered myself a person who is very interested in issues that arise in the community," she said. Sutton predicts a long future for the current reincar nation of the roundtable. She said the membership, which hoasts people from various walks of life, has kept its responsibility to the public in the foreground and have been strengthened by differences instead of weakened by them. "There havg been some trying times and some ups and downs, but in the long run. we have always managed to work things out," Sutton said. When Irene Phillips, a Winston-Salem State Univer sity professor, moved to Win ston-Salem from New York nearly four years ago. she immediately sought out a grassroots, active organiza tion. She ended her search when she found out about the roundtable. "I was looking to get involved," said Phillips, who coordinated last week's anniversary bash. "I was always involved back in New York and (the roundtable) allows me to continue to be involvetj." WAD BUSINESS CONNECTION Spells Bail bonding Agency, Inc. Local. 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Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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June 27, 2002, edition 1
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