Join us for a community conversation in the wake of Raleigh’s tragic mass shooting
There have been 52 mass shootings in the United States since Oct. 13 when a 15-year-old boy shot seven, killing five, in his northeastern Raleigh neighborhood.
Less than one month’s mass shootings have claimed 66 lives.
Those figures, compiled by the Gun Violence Archive, exclude hundreds of other firearm “incidents:” individual murders, accidental killings, suicides and more.
Hedingham’s mass shooting started a conversation we hoped never to have. As Gov. Roy Cooper said that evening, “Tonight, terror has reached our doorstep. The nightmare of every community has come to Raleigh.”
Mass shootings are numbingly commonplace across the country, and we’re not exempt in the Triangle.
Are there solutions?
What are local governments, researchers and institutions doing to forestall the next attack?
What can you do to assist?
The News & Observer and NC Insider are hosting a free, interactive program from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, to promote meaningful conversation on this painful subject. “Taking Action: A Community Conversation” will connect the public with local leaders and experts as we reckon with gun violence and its elusive remedy.
Four guests will share their experiences, research and plans in a conversation that I’ll moderate in the Daniels Auditorium at the North Carolina Museum of History.
Our panelists are:
Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin, who represented the city in its immediate response to the mass shooting.
Jeffrey Swanson, a professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University School of Medicine who also works with the Center for Firearms Law at Duke Law School.
Karen Fairley, executive director of the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s Center for Safer Schools.
Dr. Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson, North Carolina’s state health director and chief medical officer for the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
We can’t be content with conversation that only recycles hoary platitudes. Our well wishes, thoughts and prayers will not alone effect change. Instead we’ll focus on what government departments are doing to protect residents, how research might inform opinions and policy around firearm safety and what resources exist to address mental health challenges.
All are invited to attend, but capacity is limited. To guarantee your seat, please register online here or visit takingaction.eventbrite.com.
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What: Taking Action: A Community Conversation
When: 6:15-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15.
Where: Daniels Auditorium at the North Carolina Museum of History
Cost: Free, but spots are limited
Get tickets and register here.
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 8:00 AM.
