Duke students hear, discuss both sides of gun policy

In hope of deepening understanding of different views about mitigating gun violence in North Carolina and its disproportionate impact on communities of color, Duke students presented research last week at an event co-hosted last week by Duke’s Center for Firearms Law and the North Carolina Leadership Forum. The forum is a program founded by the Sanford School of Public Policy and now housed within the Office of the Provost. Its goal is to help leaders work constructively with each other on public policy, even when they disagree. At last week’s program, law students and undergraduates presented historical research on gun laws in the state, including the passage of an 1879 Concealed Carry Law, and the role of race in newspaper coverage and enforcement of the law both before and after the Wilmington Insurrection in 1898. Students also had a chance to hear from Durham’s state representative Marcia Morey about polarization in the state legislature over gun regulations. Leaders of local community groups, including Moms Demand Action and North Carolinians Against Gun Violence, spoke about their approach to policy change, and students learned about a Durham program Bull City United that uses a public health model to address local violence.