— On the day of the National School Walkout, Gov. Roy Cooper called for banning bump stocks and raising the minimum age and requiring a purchase permit for assault rifles as well as handguns.

Posted on the social media site Medium, Wednesday's statement marks a clear shift from Cooper's earlier statements on the Parkland, Fla., high school shooting, in which he expressed the need to "do the right thing" while avoiding making any specific legislative recommendations.

Cooper's post also calls for strengthening background checks, adding more mental health training for educators and enacting "extreme risk protection orders," often referred to as gun violence protective orders, which allow a judge to temporarily remove guns from someone posing a credible threat to themselves or others.

In the post titled "Our Kids Deserve Action," Cooper wrote, "After the tragedy in Parkland, Florida, conversations about school safety and gun reforms have taken place all over America. Brave students are making their voices heard, and it’s clear they want action. I do, too."

The governor said he directed law enforcement and school officials to make sure response plans and training are current. "But preparing for the worst and praying it never happens isn’t enough. We need smart changes to our laws that will help keep dangerous weapons from getting into the wrong hands," he wrote.

North Carolina law requires a pistol purchase permit issued by the county sheriff for the purchase of a handgun. Cooper said that requirement should be extended to all guns.

"There’s no good reason for the current double standard," he wrote.

Finally, he said, expanding Medicaid would increase access to mental health care for as many as 500,000 North Carolinians.

Cooper expressed hope that Congress will take action to ban bump stocks and the sale of assault weapons, but he added, "We can’t wait for Washington to act this time. The safety and security of our kids are on the line, and I urge the General Assembly to join me in taking decisive action to do right by them."

House Minority Leader Darren Jackson said the General Assembly has been heading the other way in recent years by expanding gun rights, and he hopes Cooper's ideas spur more discussion among lawmakers.

"When you see public pressure, I think, even if you know it's not going anywhere, constituents want to hear where you stand on the issue. So, the governor laid out a clear path to where he stands on the issue," said Jackon, D-Wake.

Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett, said he's more focused on recommendations made by the new Select Committee on School Safety, which will meet for the first time next week.

Cooper's stance was quickly praised by Giffords, the gun safety organization founded by former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband after she was shot at a 2012 campaign event.

"The epidemic of gun violence continues to impact the lives of North Carolinians," Nico Bocour, state legislative director of Giffords, said in a statement. "Governor Cooper recognizes that more can be done and has shown the courage and leadership North Carolina needs right now to prevent future gun tragedies. His proposal contains a number of life-saving measures that can solve this crisis, including policies that would help keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. These proposals have the broad support of the public, and we urge the North Carolina legislature to take up this legislation."