A shooting at a northern Orange County party barn last week left one dead and one injured, and people in the state are wondering if it is time to revisit gun control legislation.
The incident took place on Oct. 28 at a party barn off of Mill Creek Road in Cedar Grove where approximately 150 people were on site by the time police arrived on scene. The Orange County Sheriff's Office estimates there were 300 or more people in attendance before their arrival.
According to a press release from the sheriff's office, an altercation between patrons at the barn led to several gunshots fired in the area.
Rashiya Melton was shot in the head and airlifted to UNC Hospitals, where she was treated for life-threatening injuries. Melton died at UNC Hospitals the next day.
A statement from the Orange County Sheriff's Office said these types of events create challenges for law enforcement to investigate them.
“By the time we’re called, everyone is gone, and the people who were there often don’t wish to cooperate or be identified, making it difficult, if not impossible, to gain accurate accounts of what happened from credible witnesses," Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said in a press release.
Paul Valone, president of Grass Roots North Carolina, a volunteer organization that promotes individual liberty, said further restrictions to gun ownership would not prevent such incidents from happening in the future.
"It isn't the law-abiding gun owners that you have to worry about,” Valone said.
He said this doesn't mean we shouldn't address gun-related crimes, but restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens isn't the right priority for policymakers.
