A group plans to demand common sense gun legislation at the Raleigh office of U.S. Senator Thom Tillis on Tuesday morning. The rally comes less than a week after a mass shooting at a high school in Florida that killed 17 people.In recent years, the NRA has spent $4.5 million dollars to benefit Tillis and $7 million in support of fellow GOP Senator Richard Burr. That's more than contributions for almost every other member of Congress. Neither Senator has called for changes to gun policy. At the state level Republicans hold veto-proof majorities and new legislation is not expected.
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“One thing that I think is going, that would maybe make North Carolina more likely to look at some gun legislation would be something more than just an individual who is shot, it would be some kind of mass shooting,” said Susan Roberts, professor of Political Science at Davidson College. “I think that’s what moved it in some states.”
With Republicans holding veto-proof majorities at the state legislature, Roberts said she doesn’t think much of anything will happen here from a policy standpoint.
“Now the students are starting to reach out and that might be a real ticket to agitating and making all legislators – at the state level, at the federal level – look for more gun control measures,” added Roberts when asked about what is different – if anything – with this latest shooting.
House Speaker Tim Moore has signaled he plans to appoint a state House committee to examine ways to improve school safety across the state.
