Everytown, North Carolina Moms Demand Action Release New TV Ad in Opposition to Bill that Would Repeal Life-Saving Background Checks Law

TV Ad, Which Will Run Statewide, Comes on the Heels of Everytown, NC Moms Rally At Capitol on Tuesday

HB 562 Would Repeal Background Check Requirement For Handgun Sales In North Carolina, Defy Support of 87 Percent of North Carolinians

RALEIGH, N.C – Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and the North Carolina chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America today released a new television ad that will air across North Carolina television beginning this week.

The ad highlights the broad consensus among North Carolinians against HB 562—the gun lobby-backed bill that would repeal North Carolina’s requirement that all handgun buyers get a pistol permit, a process that includes a criminal background check. The ad features recently released polling paid for by Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund showing that 87 percent of North Carolinians support background checks on all gun sales and a letter from the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association urging the Legislature to remove the portion of HB 562 that would repeal the state’s background check law. The bill would allow felons, domestic abusers, and other people prohibited from having guns to evade background checks by shopping with unlicensed sellers online or at gun shows.

“This ad highlights why it is so important for lawmakers to listen to 87 percent of North Carolinians, law enforcement, and the more than 101,000 Everytown supporters in the state,” said Sarah Green, volunteer Chapter Leader of the North Carolina Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a part of Everytown for Gun Safety. “Missouri repealed their law in 2007 and gun homicides spiked by 25 percent. North Carolinians don’t want to go down that road—we urge lawmakers in Raleigh to reject HB 562 because lives are on the line.”

This past Tuesday, Everytown and North Carolina Moms held a rally at the General Assembly to underscore the importance of keeping North Carolina’s background check requirement for handgun purchases in place. The rally brought together moms, mayors, gun violence survivors, and legislators who voiced opposition to HB 562 for its potentially devastating impact on North Carolina public safety.

In the past year, 819 permits in Wake County were denied to prospective handgun buyers, including felons, domestic abusers, and the seriously mentally ill. If HB 562 passes, those dangerous people would be able to meet a stranger online and buy a handgun with no questions asked.