Bill cracking down on gang activity to get first hearing in NC legislature

North Carolina lawmakers are expected to debate an array of proposals aimed at deterring gang recruitment and keeping firearms out of the hands of gang members, among other anti-gang changes.

It’s an effort to give prosecutors and law enforcement stronger tools to investigate, prosecute and deter gang activity across the state, lawmakers say.

Bill sponsors call the effort “Jaleeyah’s Law.” House Bill 1173 is named for Jaleeyah Tune, a 13-year-old Goldsboro girl who, according to police, was fatally shot in the head in December. Tune was a seventh grader at Wayne Academy. Lawmakers say it was an act of gang violence. 

The bill seeks to lower the threshold for what constitutes a criminal gang leader or organizer, making it easier for suspected gang leaders to face charges.

It would also tighten laws intended to prevent the recruitment of minors into gangs and increase penalties for offenders. And it would make gun possession illegal for anyone who has been identified in court as a gang member, among other proposed reforms.  

The bill is scheduled to go before a House judiciary committee for discussion on Tuesday.