Gun-control group honors deputy's widow
Strategy weighed at yearly meeting
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Jessica Rocha, Staff Writer
Before Patricia Tucker became the wife of a sheriff's deputy, she was a nurse, often tending to others' gunshot wounds.
That is part of what motivated her and her late husband, Wake County sheriff's deputy Mark Tucker, to favor gun control decades ago.

Mark Tucker was one of the first members of North Carolinians Against Gun Violence. On Tuesday, the advocacy and education group honored Patricia Tucker for her work to stop gun violence at its annual meeting at Carol Woods Retirement Center.

"Whatever it takes to stop the insanity in our communities" is what Tucker wants. Last year, she sued the pawn shop that sold the gun that killed her husband. A friend bought the gun for Matthew Grant, Mark Tucker's killer, because he knew Grant's prior record would prevent him from buying one himself.

The pawn shop's president has said it had no way to know whose hands the gun would end up in, though it had previously turned the friend away because his breath smelled of alcohol.

In 2004, 1,046 people in the state died from gun violence, said Lisa Price, the sponsoring group's executive director.

"Sometimes we wonder if our nation and state will ever come to their senses about guns -- or perhaps we should say our national and state legislators," Price said.

But for years the gun regulation movement has lacked the funding, support and network organization to transfer that support into action, especially against such a powerful and well-organized lobby as the National Rifle Association. That's according to Kristin Goss, a Duke University assistant professor of public policy whose book, "Disarmed: The Missing Movement for Gun Control in America," is scheduled to come out this summer.

Goss told the group Tuesday that if gun-control advocates want change, they have to bring out the big guns by marrying their interests to those of other large volunteer organizations, and by working more cooperatively with the government.

Durham's interest

Several local state legislators attended the annual meeting, as well as Patrick Baker, Durham's city manager.

With 37 homicides in 2005, Durham's murder rate was the highest among large North Carolina municipalities. Last week in a state of the city speech, Mayor Bill Bell said more must be done to stem the violence.

In Durham, guns were used in 78 percent of last year's homicides, and many of them were obtained illegally. About 40 percent of the suspects were 19 or younger, and 78 percent of the suspects and victims were black.

Yet the crowd at Carol Woods -- mostly white and of at least middle age -- didn't reflect who was most being hurt by violent and illegal gun use in Durham.

"Those folks aren't here," Baker said. "I'm not quite sure what to make of it, but I noticed it right when I walked in."

Price said North Carolinians Against Gun Violence worked with other organizations, such as Project Safe Neighborhoods, and organized toy exchanges that gave children nonviolent toys when people turned in violent-theme toys such as play guns.

"We're very small, and there's only so much a tiny organization can do," Price said.

Staff writer Jessica Rocha can be reached at 932-2008 or [email protected].

in my own god damn state

We need to set aside land to create an unarmed socialist utopia for dumbasses like this. Once we're reasonably sure that they've all moved there we'll use it for nuclear testing.

Watch for a version brought to you by the AD COUNCIL!  Your tax dollars lobbying to take your constitutional rights.  GD rotten ass govt.

I love how they say they lack the support and funding but some how think they are the main stream

Quoted: <snip> In Durham, guns were used in 78 percent of last year's homicides, and many of them were obtained illegally. <snip> Staff writer Jessica Rocha can be reached at 932-2008 or [email protected].

Do these knuckleheads really pay attention to what they actually say!!  

As if more laws were going to help IN ANY WAY!

Ever driven on the Mass pike into Boston? If you have you know what I'm talking about.

Isn't North Carolina a place where you have to have a permit to buy a gun?  And the CLEO in Durham seldom gives permits to buy handguns?

    Think about it. What if your spouse were to be shot to death by somebody that should not have a gun, and you have never  been around firearms.  You might be inspired to do what this lady is doing.  Where she is going wrong, is blaming this murder on the firearm and not on the criminal.  If the bad guy is going to kill somebody, there are endless ways to do it. No matter how it is done, it is always the PERSON that is at fault, not the gun, knife...  Remember that sick gal in Texas that drowned her kids in the tub.  NObody asked to ban tubs. Remember that lady in Houston that kept driving in circles, running over her cheating husband....and on and on.  THIS lady needs to be brought to Texas and watch some executions...its not the needle, it is the will of the people. It is always the PEOPLE

Isn't North Carolina a place where you have to have a permit to buy a gun?

Yes, to buy a handgun.  The system was created to keep guns out of the hands of blacks.  Without being granted a permit, a black man can't even legally buy a pistol used in NC.

And the CLEO in Durham seldom gives permits to buy handguns?

If you're white, you'll have no trouble.  I know a couple of guys that were granted permits in Durham and a black woman from there that was denied.  She now lives down the street from me, and she owns several handguns.z

Again, blame the gun - not the criminal that used it.

The weapon that killed her husband was acquired via straw purchase, creating two criminals - one of which was not the owner of the pawn shop.

Of course when you're dealing with libtards, you can't use common sense.

Quoted:     Think about it. What if your spouse were to be shot to death by somebody that should not have a gun, and you have never  been around firearms.  You might be inspired to do what this lady is doing.  Where she is going wrong, is blaming this murder on the firearm and not on the criminal.  If the bad guy is going to kill somebody, there are endless ways to do it.

Even if you completely banned 'civilian' gun ownership, you would still have gun deaths.  

My father did a forensic pathology rotation in medical school in Budapest in the 1960's.  You would think that of all places this would have the strictest gun control laws and that he wouldn't have the opportunity to assist in autopsies of fatal gunshot victims.  During his one month rotation, he saw at least 4 gun deaths.  IIRC,:

1)  Police officer shot and killed his wife (murder).
2)  Police officer left his gun on the kitchen table and his 8 year-old son negligently shot himself, fatally.
3)  Another police officer committed suicide.
4)  One military recruit negligently killed another on the target range.

What would Patricia Tucker want to do?  Ban police and military from possessing guns?