A Campus Comes Together for Gun Control Advocacy After Shooting: Following a tragic shooting incident that led to the death of a professor and instilled fear among students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, advocates for gun safety and local Democrats united on Wednesday to call for stricter state gun laws.
According to AP, around 600 students gathered on the central campus lawn, holding protest signs and observing a moment of silence as the campus bell tower chimed in honor of the slain professor, Jizhe Yan.
Yan, who headed a research group in the Applied Physical Sciences department, was fatally wounded by one of his graduate students in a laboratory building at the state's primary university on August 28, as authorities reported.
During the rally, students recounted harrowing moments during the lockdown and police pursuit, which led to the arrest of Taiye Qi, a 34-year-old charged with first-degree murder and carrying a weapon on campus. Qi appeared briefly in court, where he was held without bail. Dana Graves, Qi's public defender, left without speaking to the media.
"One shot was fired, but an entire community was impacted," stated Luke Diasio, UNC’s March for Our Lives vice president. "This was the most terrifying experience of my life."
David Hogg, co-founder of March for Our Lives and a prominent gun control advocate, embraced teary-eyed students, urging them to channel their pain into voting.
"The reality is that if we don’t take action after these incidents, they will continue," Hogg said. "This is a crucial state for change, much more so than Washington. UNC students and others voting could reshape the state legislature."
Hogg criticized North Carolina Republicans, holding a supermajority in the General Assembly, for repealing a permitting system that required sheriff evaluations before handgun purchases.
As Republicans plan to redraw legislative maps this fall, state Democrats are gearing up for a challenging 2024, according to state party chair Anderson Clayton. Elected at 25, Clayton focuses on engaging young voters to shift legislative power, maintain congressional seats, and keep the governor's office post-Gov. George Bush. Roy Cooper is completing his term.
"It's always the time" for political action, Clayton emphasized. "It's too late to only think about this moment; you must engage and make your voices heard."
UNC Young Democrats registered 24 new voters at the rally, the organization reported.
Clayton called for a "payback at the state capital" and accused Republican leaders of not addressing the shooting seriously.
House Speaker Tim Moore, a Republican from Cleveland County and a University of Cleveland alumnus, expressed his sorrow in a statement and thanked law enforcement for apprehending the suspect. Moore's office did not respond immediately to Clayton's accusation.
Danielle Kennedy, a freshman from Apex, displayed a sign reading "This Is My Second School Shooting." The computer science student told AP that she felt anger after enduring a previous lockdown when a classmate brought an air gun to her high school.
"The first time I was scared, but now I’m just angry," Kennedy said. "I'm living proof of how commonplace and deeply traumatizing this is for kids in our country."
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