RALEIGH, NC – June 5, 2023 –  On June 5^th, Governor Roy Cooper announced the North Carolina S.A.F.E. (Secure All Firearms Effectively) initiative for the safe storage of firearms to save lives and reduce gun thefts. The initiative is in response to the rising number of gun-related fatalities of children and youth and firearm thefts in the state. Most gun thefts from cars were from unlocked cars. According to a statewide telephone survey in 2021, more than one-half of loaded firearms at home were stored unlocked. The Governor declared June 4-10 as being a Week of Action to raise awareness of the importance of safe gun storage. The program includes social media ads, advertising on buses, and teaching children about preventing gun violence.

Firearm violence is a public health problem in North Carolina.

• It is the most frequent cause of children and youth death
• 116 children died from firearm-related injury in 2021
• Most firearm-related deaths are suicides.
• Most adolescent suicides by firearms were from a gun owned by a family member
• The annual rate of gun deaths increased more than 200% between 2012 to 2021
• There were more hospitalizations of children from firearm injuries between 2016 to 2020
• There were more children emergency department visits for firearm injury between 2017 to 2021
• The number of gun thefts have been skyrocketing
• There is an increase in firearm-related juvenile crime

Safe gun storage is an effective intervention to reduce firearm thefts and firearms deaths of children and youth. NC S.A.F.E. recommends that gun owners follow these recommendations:

• Firearms should be locked when not in use
• Firearms should be stored unloaded
• Ammunition should be stored separately and locked
• Firearms in vehicles should be locked and the vehicle should be locked

The Governor’s gun safety initiative has brought a lot of attention for gun violence prevention to western North Carolina. At their June 6^th meeting, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners recognized this month as Gun Violence Prevention Month. On June 8^th, the NC Department of Public Safety co-hosted a media event in partnership with the Buncombe County Department of Health & Human Services to promote the initiative and the Week of Action.

Governor Cooper said at a press conference earlier in the month, “For those who own guns, it’s our responsibility to keep them safe and out of the wrong hands. Safe storage is an essential part of responsible gun ownership, and this initiative will encourage North Carolinians to safely secure their firearms in their homes and vehicles.”

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

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ASHEVILLE, NC – May 31, 2023 –  Summer is here, and so is the urge to cool off and play in the waters around Asheville. Be aware that Mountain True’s 2023 French Broad River’s water report indicated that more than one-half of the sites tested failed to meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recreational standards for swimming where body contact with the water is frequent. However, the water meets the EPA’s standards for secondary recreation like tubing and kayaking. You can access an up-to-date French Broad River water quality report on the SwimGuide.org website, its smartphone app, or at https://frenchbroadwaterquality.com . Mountain True is a nonprofit organization based in Asheville that has a vision for healthy forests, clean waters and healthy communities in the Southern Blue Ridge region.

E. coli, a bacterium from feces, is a reliable indicator of the presence of bacteria and pathogens that are harmful to human health. Contact with or inadvertently swallowing contaminated water can cause gastrointestinal illness and skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic, and wound infections. The most commonly reported symptoms are stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and low-grade fever occurring within 4 days of exposure. Children and seniors are at a greater risk of being affected. Water samples are collected each week from the French Broad River by Mountain True’s volunteers and staff from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The samples are processed to determine the E. Coli levels. Currently, the tests show that the E. Coli levels are at almost 8 times the EPA recreational water standard.

In her 1955 book The French Broad, the American writer Wilma Dykeman described how many years of dumping untreated sewage and industrial waste into the waterway had created a dirty, smelly river that she described as “too thick to drink, too thin to plow.” After the Clean Water Act of 1972, the work of many nonprofit organizations and volunteers improved the river’s water quality.

The river has an unhealthy-appearing brown color, a clear sign of sediment and other pollutants running through the waterway. The French Broad River has elevated levels of harmful bacteria from sewer and septic system leaks, cattle accessing streams, and stormwater runoff from animal agricultural operations and fields. Booming construction and development, more frequent heavy rains due to climate change, and an aging stormwater system result in more runoff from urban areas, more sewer overflows, and increased waterway sediment.

The river has a strong economic presence around Asheville. It is estimated to bring in $3.8 billion annually according to a study by Western Carolina University economics professor Steve Ha and the French Broad River Partnership, a group of more than 50 organizations that want to improve the river’s health for environmental and economic benefits.

Hartwell Carson, Mountain True’s French Broad Riverkeeper, said, “We strongly encourage recreation. I go out all the time, swimming, boating – I just do it in an educated and informed way.”

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour