Op-Eds Highlight Lt. Gov. Robinson’s Failure To Keep Communities Safe

In a series of op-eds across the state, a retired nurse practitioner, a gun owner and grandmother, a gun violence survivor, and a gun safety proponent took the time to share their stories about what community safety means to them. Each writer named Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson as a threat to safe communities across North Carolina. 

Following the six-year anniversary of the Las Vegas shooting, they noted that Robinson “sought to cast doubt on the disaster,” has “accused the student survivors of the Parkland, Florida mass shooting of being actors,” and is “off the mark” on common-sense safety measures that even responsible gun owners support.

As Attorney General, Josh Stein has fought to keep people safe and prevent violence in communities. He has prioritized investments in violence interruption programs to break the cycle of violence, fought to strengthen partnerships with law enforcement and the communities they serve, promoted safe gun storage practices, and called for common-sense gun safety measures that keep guns out of the hands of violent people. As governor, he will continue to fight for North Carolinians’ right to be safe in their neighborhoods and schools, at work and at worship. 

Read More: 

Greensboro News & Record: We need a governor who’ll address gun violence

• As a gun-violence survivor, I don’t want a single additional person to experience the horror I went through. That’s why I run a community violence-prevention program in Greensboro. 

• Lt. Gov. Robinson, a Greensboro native, will not help stem the tide of gun violence in our community. In fact, he would make it easier for dangerous people to get guns and cause death and destruction throughout this state.

NC Newsline: On the anniversary of the nation’s deadliest mass shooting, a demand for NC leaders to do better

• Amazingly, Robinson actually has a long history of viciously mocking and attacking school shooting survivors. 

• In 2018, he accused the student survivors of the Parkland, Florida mass shooting of being actors and called them “spoiled, angry, know it all CHILDREN,” “stupid kids,” and “media prosti-tots.”

RR Spin: Robinson off the mark on gun issues

• As a current resident of Northampton County, I am proud of my right to bear arms.  Living in America requires a balance of self-reliance and responsibility.  I have young grandchildren, which is one of the reasons my gun is always locked, unloaded and out of reach of small curious hands. It is my duty to be responsible and adhere to safe gun measures, such as background checks, which are important and save lives. 

• Over 89% of my fellow North Carolinians support universal background checks as well.  Lt. Governor Robinson, however, is against it.  Robinson is also on the board of the NRA, which wants to get rid of concealed carry weapon permits. As governor, Mark Robinson would take away my right, and my grandchildren’s right, to feel safe in my community.

Asheville Citizen-Times: We need to elect politicians who will focus on gun safety legislation

• As a retired nurse practitioner I’ve certainly seen the results of gun violence first hand. I’ve cared for a young woman at the end-of-life because of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. I’ve stayed locked in my office at the hospital during an active shooter alert. I’ve told a colleague how sorry I was when his son was killed by a shooter when he was attending a college class at UNC-G and written a sympathy card to the family of a local nephrologist who was shot and killed by the father of one of his patients. 

• As the Republican gubernatorial primary approaches (March 5, 2024) and the North Carolina general election (Nov. 5, 2024), I urge you to vote with your heart. What is most important to you and your friends and families? What steps do you think are important to achieve these goals?