North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper wants changes made to the state's gun laws, like raising the age to buy an assault weapon to 21 and strengthening background checks for buying assault rifles.
In an essay for Medium.com titled 'Our Kids Deserve Action,' Cooper outlines his proposal. Some steps of the plan included:
- Increasing the legal age to buy an assault weapon to 21 and requiring anyone buying them to go through the same background check and permitting process they would for a handgun.
- Making mental health care more accessible.
- More thorough background checks for those buying handguns.
- Banning 'bump stocks' that turn semi-automatic guns into machine guns.
- Increasing the number of school personnel who receive youth and adult mental health first aid training.
"After the tragedy in Parkland, Florida, conversations about school safety and gun reforms have taken place all over America. Brave students are making their voices heard, and it’s clear they want action. I do too," Cooper wrote in the essay.
Cooper's proposal comes on the same day students throughout the country took part in a walkout to protest gun violence at schools.
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