of North Carolina The Child Fatalities Task Force met with lawmakers Wednesday to recommend ways North Carolina gun storage laws could be strengthened.

The initiative calls for changing the wording of laws written on the issue and for more funding to go towards educating people on how to store guns safely.

“The amount of time it takes for you to get locked in is the same as putting on a seat belt or putting your child in a child safety seat,” said William Lassiter, assistant secretary for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention at the Department of Public Safety. “These few seconds can save you from a lifelong tragedy.”

BIDEN DOJ’S GUN LAW INSTRUCTIONS WILL AFFECT THE ABILITY TO DEFEND YOURSELF: GUN RIGHTS GROUPS

US-64 enters North Carolina from Tennessee near Hothouse, a beacon marking the long journey across the state to the Outer Banks. (Charlie Creitz)

Right now, firearms are one It is among the most important causes of death for children in the state. The state also ranks 12th in the United States for youth deaths due to gun violence.

“The Task Force’s recommendations for 2024 reflect a continued focus on the importance of safe storage of firearms through the NC SAFE firearm safety campaign and the pursuit of continued funding for the newly created NC Office of Violence Prevention and the state’s effort to strengthen child access prevention legislation,” the Child Mortality Study said Group’s latest report.

“Other 2024 recommendations continue the Task Force’s work on suicide prevention and the youth mental health crisis by seeking continued funding for more school nurses, social workers, counselors, and psychologists, and by endorsing legislation targeting addictive social media algorithms that harm children.”

Lawmakers are also calling for changes to how adults are charged if children have access to guns that causes bodily harm or death.

NORTH CAROLINA STATE SENATE VOTE TO OVERRIDE DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT ROY COOPER’S VETO TO LOOSE GUN RESTRICTIONS

The weapons displayed here, which are classified as assault-style rifles in Illinois, are now prohibited for sale in the state of Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Currently, North Carolina laws only allow gun owners living in a household with a gun. children can be held responsible for not storing their weapons safely. A vote on Wednesday proposed changing this by removing the residence requirement. This will make all gun owners responsible for the safe storage of their guns.

They also recommend providing an ongoing budget of more than $2 million for NC SAFE, a campaign aimed at educating people about safe gun storage.

A recent Wall Street Journal report noted that Democratic voters are the “most surprising” group of new gun owners in America. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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“We distributed 60,000 gun locks,” Lassiter said. “People really want these resources so they can do the right thing in their homes.”

All items discussed at the meeting will now go to the General Assembly, and working group members will work with MPs to enact them into law.