What A Trip It Was - JAC Fly-In 2013

• Steve Barton, who was shot in Aurora while on a trip with a buddy, gave up his plans for a Fullbright scholarship teaching English in Russia and now works for Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Steve spoke about the need for each of us to work to see that events like this never happen to anyone else. He urged us to demand that the legislators pass the three bills before Congress - assault weapons ban, background checks and gun trafficking.
• Colin Goddard, of the Brady Campaign, was sitting in a classroom at Virginia Tech conjugating verbs when he was shot. He lay there thinking that he would not make it and witnessed many in his classroom not survive. Colin mentioned that he had been in ROTC and knew about guns but could not understand the need for military assault weapons for the general public. He spoke passionately about the struggle ahead and how we must make calls, send emails, write letters and visit our lawmakers. He said that our voices have to be loud, louder than the shrill cry from the otherside.
• Representative Ron Barber (D-AZ) left the Hill and a vote to speak with us. He poignantly spoke of seeing first Congresswoman Giffords shot, then the Judge next to him, and then realizing he was wounded. He spoke of the mere 19.5 seconds it took to take 6 lives and wound 12 others. Seconds. Without large magazine capacity clips many of the lives that were lost or shattered could not have happened. He spoke about being a gun owner and the need to know the difference between sport and massacre. He also addressed the mental health issues. Rep. Barber sits on the Democratic Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and he discussed some of the 15 solutions/actions that the task force has identified.
• Cynthia Hogan, Deputy Asst to the President and Vice President, is a legal expert who worked on VAWA in 1994 and currently is involved in the Gun Violence Prevention. She explained the bills that were pending. She explained that in Holder the right to bear arms was established so do not believe the myths that guns will be confiscated. She also said that that ruling did set limits on the types of weapons that can be in the general public.
• Karen Volker, who was formerly with the State Department, is now the DC executive director Cure Violence. She spoke of violence as an epidemic. Cure goes into places where violence is increasing and trains members of the community in how to help work with those that are troubled. Based on the premise that violence is an epidemic and cannot be treated and monitored much like any other epidemic, it goes to the root of the issue. How do we stop the behavior before there is an eruption.
• Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA) also a member of the Democratic Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, left votes to come speak before us. She was responsible for some of the strict gun safety laws in CA. She spoke of confronting a fellow legislator who asked her if she had ever fired an assault weapon. She paused and said no, but she had been shot 5 times by one in Guyana and still had 2 of the bullets lodged in her body. Needless to say the legislation passed that day and now she is a strong, loud voice for protections on a federal level. We know her as a champion for women and now we see her as a stalwart supporter of establishing federal laws that protect us all.
• Nancy Robinson, Executive Eirector of Citizens for Safety, gave a visual illustration of the importance of understanding where people get guns. She believes that knowing the source is vital to stop gun trafficking. She said that just penalizing straw buyers is not enough. In fact many straw buyers are women who are coerced into buying and carrying these guns. She thinks we must educate these buyers.  She also spoke about national polls vs state polls and knowing how to use these when we urge our legislators to act.

Call, email, write letters, visit. WE NEED TO HEAR YOU. We need you to drown out the other voices.

 

Over the holiday recess, go to Town Hall meetings and speak up. Be part of it. Don’t wait for another tragedy - in your own backyard or that of a fellow American.