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‘Nauseating fear’: UNC students rally for gun control after campus shooting

Dozens of students gather at South Building to rally for anti-violence and gun safety on Aug. 30, 2023, two days after a UNC-Chapel Hill professor was killed by one of his graduate students. They hold a large sign that said, "This is our reality."
Sophie Mallinson
/
WUNC
Dozens of UNC-Chapel Hill students gather at South Building to rally for anti-violence and gun safety on Aug. 30, 2023, two days after a faculty member was fatally shot on Monday.

UNC-Chapel Hill's Young Democrats and Students Demand Action groups held a rally Wednesday afternoon, calling for increased gun regulation. It came after a faculty member was shot and killed on campus Monday, resulting in a roughly three-hour lockdown.

At the hour-long campus rally, student activists spoke to a crowd of over 100 people. They condemned and mourned the death of science professor Zijie Yan in Monday's shooting.

“We can't even make it a full two weeks without gun violence wreaking havoc on our campus,” said Mitchell Pinsky, a UNC graduate student and member of Students Demand Action. “There is nothing normal about being forced to grow up living in fear of gun violence wherever we go about our daily lives.”

A large crowd standing outside of UNC's South Building to watch Wednesday's rally.
Sophie Mallinson
/
WUNC
A large crowd stands outside of UNC's South Building to watch Wednesday's rally.

State politicians and activists, such as March For Our Lives founder David Hogg, encouraged the sizable crowd to vote for candidates who support tougher gun laws and put pressure on representatives to pass more restrictive gun measures.

“We will next be in session at the North Carolina General Assembly the week of September 11,” said state Sen. Graig Meyer, a Democrat from Orange County. “I would like to see you there.”

Two speakers at the rally: Kyle Lumsdem (left) and Mitchell Pinsky (right), wearing bright orange Students Demand Action shirts.
Sophie Mallinson
/
WUNC
Two speakers at the rally: Kyle Lumsdem (left) and Mitchell Pinsky (right), wearing bright orange Students Demand Action shirts.

Earlier this year, the Republican-led legislature overrode the Governor's veto on a controversial gun-related bill that repealed a permit requirement to purchase concealed guns—a move that the crowd at Wednesday's rally booed.

Junior Kyle Lumsden, who spoke at the event, said the shooting left her feeling isolated. But upon leaving the rally, she felt empowered.

“There has to be acknowledgement of the mental health and the trauma that follows after events like this,” Lumsden said. “I hope people give themselves grace. It’s not a linear process of healing.”

Meanwhile, in a statement issued following the shooting, House Speaker Tim Moore said he was “heartbroken” as the situation was unfolding. He joined the rest of the UNC campus community in grieving the “innocent loss of one of our own,” he added. Moore, a Republican, is a UNC alum.


Editor's Note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the permit requirement that was changed was to purchase a handgun.

Sophie Mallinson is a daily news intern with WUNC for summer 2023. She is a recent graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill, where she studied journalism. Sophie is from Greenville, N.C., but she enjoys the new experiences of the Triangle area. During her time as a Tar Heel, Sophie was a reporter and producer for Carolina Connection, UNC-Chapel Hill’s radio program. She currently is heavily involved in science education at Morehead Planetarium and Science Center.
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