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Authorities identified victims of a mass shooting over the weekend at a beachfront restaurant in Southport, North Carolina. Three people were killed, five injured. And now the state's governor is calling for tighter restrictions on who can own a gun. Here's Nikolai Mather from member station WHQR.
NIKOLAI MATHER, BYLINE: On Saturday, diners on the seaside deck of American Fish Company were enjoying one of the last warm evenings of the season.
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JON DAVID: The thin veneer of peace and tranquility was shattered last night by gunfire that came from the water.
MATHER: That's Brunswick County District Attorney John David. He said Sunday the gunmen used an assault rifle to open fire on the crowd from a boat. Solomon Banjo, Michael Durbin and Joy Rogers were shot fatally. The other five are still in the hospital, with at least one in critical condition. The shooting has devastated this small coastal community. Authorities detained a suspect that night - Nigel Max Edge, a Marine veteran who once served as a scout sniper in Iraq. Edge is a longtime resident of neighboring Oak Island. Here's Oak Island Police Chief Charlie Morris.
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CHARLIE MORRIS: We are familiar with him at the police department. He has filed numerous lawsuits on the town, on the police department.
MATHER: Authorities say Edge didn't have a significant criminal history, but his neighbors say that he has an extensive gun collection. Edge also told officials he sustained a traumatic brain injury in Iraq. North Carolina Republicans recently passed a crime bill that places new restrictions on defendants suspected of having a mental illness. It's called Iryna's Law after the brutal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee in Charlotte that drew attention from the White House. The suspected killer has a history of mental illness. Democrats wanted to add a provision which would allow authorities to temporarily seize firearms from potentially dangerous individuals. Governor Josh Stein, who is a Democrat, visited Southport earlier this week.
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JOSH STEIN: There are people in our community who people know are a risk - a risk to others, a risk to themselves - and they should not have firearms.
MATHER: Stein has also said that the current bill doesn't fund critical mental health programs. It's unclear whether he'll sign it.
For NPR News, I'm Nikolai Mather in Southport, North Carolina.
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