Activists praise Tillis for latest gun control deal, say it will help make North Carolina safer

This historic piece of legislation, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, is backed by both of North Carolina's members of the chamber, U.S. Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis.

The bill Tillis is supporting will help harden school security and implement crisis intervention programs in schools, he said during a virtual press conference on Wednesday.

The bill is much tighter than what many liberal Democrats were aiming for, and does not raise the limit to purchased a semi-automatic firearm, which many gun control activists called for in the wake of two mass shootings.

When Tillis was asked by a reporter if the bill he is pushing for would have stopped last month's mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, he said "it's impossible to determine."

"We do think this is a positive step," he said. "It won't stop every horrible event like we've seen at far too many schools and far too many public spaces."

According to a WRAL News poll, a majority of North Carolina voters want stricter gun control laws. They also fear they or a family member may become a victim of a mass shooting.

The poll showed overwhelming support for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, limits to the amount of rounds a weapon can hold, raising the minimum age of assault weapon ownership from 18 to 21, universal background checks and gun confiscation when family members or law enforcement officers prove to a judge that a gun owner poses a significant threat to themselves or others.

Senators are proposing $750 million to help states implement and run crisis intervention programs, which psychotherapist Kamala Uzzell says is long overdue.

"Folks in my field have been advocating for years these measure," she said. "It's always easier to prevent something then to work with a tragedy or trauma after its happened."

North Carolinians say they want stricter gun laws amid heightened fear of gun violence, WRAL News poll shows

The bill also closes what is known as the "boyfriend loophole" found in current federal gun control legislation. As of now, unmarried partners can still own a gun even if they were found guilty of domestic violence against someone they were dating.

"Women killed by their partners are more likely to be murdered by a firearm than by all other means combined," said Kathleen Lockwood, policy director at the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence. "These policy issues are really life or death for domestic violence survivors."

Senators also agreed to enhance background checks and direct millions of dollars toward helping states to implement so-called "red flag" laws — which, as of now, North Carolina does not have. These laws allow a judge to take away someone’s gun based on the suspicion that they will use it to hurt themselves or others.

The National Rifle Association said in a statement posted to Twitter that the latest gun control bill "falls short on every level."

"This legislation can be abused to restrict lawful gun purchases, infringe upon the rights of law-abiding Americans, and use federal dollars to fund gun control measures being adopted by state and local politicians," the gun-rights group said.

Even though the bill doesn't include many provisions Democrats want, even members from the left wing of the party, such as U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have said they are in support of the bill.