Archive for the Gun Safety Category

Trudy Rankin and Andy Crossfield are co-chairs of the League of Women Voters of Polk County’s Gun Safety Committee. They are leading a campaign to give away gun locks.   ‘Listen, be responsible’: Polk League of Women Voters gives away gun locks to save lives This article about the Polk County chapter of the League was published Oct. 6 in the Lakeland Ledger. By Gary White, Lakeland Ledger It sounds like it could be part of a stealthy and suspicious operation: Someone from Polk County drives four hours to Fort Lauderdale, meeting a supplier in an office parking lot to collect a package before driving back to pass along the contents for local distribution. Though the details might vaguely resemble those of an illicit deal, the supply run is actually part of a mission intended to save lives. Volunteers with the League of Women Voters of Polk County have been

BRADY | END FAMILY FIRE National #SuicidePreventionMonth Social Media Toolkit | September 2023 [pdf-embedder url=”https://lwvpbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Brady-End-Family-Fire-Suicide-Prevention-Month-September-2023.pdf” title=”Brady & End Family Fire – Suicide Prevention Month, September 2023″]

Tomorrow is ASK day – it coincides with the first day of summer as summer increases the risk that children will find unsecured firearms in their homes when there is less supervision as usually occurs with summer. Here is the link to Brady with lots of ideas about getting the word out and amplifying the message. https://www.bradyunited.org/program/end-family-fire/asking-saves-kids

Large body of misinformation is fueling American gun violence By Thomas Gabor and Fred Guttenberg This ‘Your Turn’ opinion column was published in The Palm Beach Post on June 7. Slogans like  “Guns don’t kill, people do” and “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun” reflect the decades-long campaign by the gun lobby and its allies to convince Americans that owning guns makes them safer. This campaign, based on a large body of misinformation, has made America a far more dangerous place. Our book American Carnage identifies and debunks close to 40 core myths that have led many Americans to mistakenly believe that carrying a gun and keeping one in the home will protect them rather than expose them to an elevated risk of harm. Much of this misinformation stems from the radicalization of the gun lobby, beginning in the 1970s.

LEAGUES DECRY ‘YET ANOTHER HEARTBREAK’ ‘Once again, innocent lives were taken far too soon by yet another school shooting.’ NASHVILLE — The League of Women Voters of Nashville issued the following joint statement with the League of Women Voters of Tennessee and the League of Women Voters of the United States in response to the mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville. “Our hearts are broken that once again innocent lives were taken far too soon by yet another school shooting. Three students and three staff members were senselessly murdered while at an institution of learning — a place where they should be safe. “Monday’s tragedy unfolded as our state Legislature is poised to weaken gun safety laws. Our elected leaders must do more to protect our communities from the dangers of gun violence and to keep our students safe. We call on Congress to pass the assault weapons ban. “Yesterday’s

I UNDERSTAND GUN VIOLENCE VICTIMS’ FEAR By Ashley Cacicedo-Surdovel, Young Leaguers Chair This commentary was recently published as a Letter to the Editor in The Palm Beach Post. In 2019, I was at the mall shopping with my sister at Macy’s; we were by the shoe department on the first floor. Suddenly, a stampede of people ran toward us, screaming that a gunman was in the mall. My sister and I hid behind shoe racks, scared for our lives. Thankfully, an employee helped us escape through an exit door. I saw many shoppers in panic as I ran out of the mall — including a teenager in tears who was separated from her friend. The Police Department received over 200 phone calls that day. Some of our friends were stuck inside the mall until 9 p.m., waiting to be escorted safely out of the mall by law enforcement. The next day,

***As seen on CNN and MSNBC*** Criminologist Thomas Gabor and activist Fred Guttenberg, who lost his 14-year-old daughter Jaime in the 2018 Parkland school shooting, team up to dismantle some of the leading myths on guns and gun violence. Many of these myths have been promoted by the gun lobby to facilitate gun sales and normalize the presence of guns in American society. Using the most recent research and data, the authors take on beliefs, such as: Gun laws are recent inventions; Homes and schools with guns are safer; The Constitution affords an unlimited right to own a gun; and Guns don’t kill, people do. The authors dissect the many myths that endanger Americans by keeping the country from adopting effective solutions to gun violence. They also provide guidance as to how misinformation on guns can be tackled. The book has received some strong endorsements: “American Carnage is an essential read on one of the most

Action Alert from League of Women Voters-Florida Your Action is Needed Now: Stop permitless carry in Florida! The Florida Senate Criminal Justice Committee and the Florida House Judiciary Committee will both hear bills that would bring permitless carry to Florida this week. Permitless carry harms public safety by removing vital safety measures designed to ensure that those carrying handguns in public have been properly trained and vetted. The removal of concealed carry permitting systems is associated with higher rates of gun homicide and violent crime. States where permitless carry is legal experienced a 22% increase in gun homicides for the three years after the law’s passage, more than doubling the 10% increase for the country overall. Florida already ranks as the 24th worst state in terms of gun deaths in the U.S., with one gun death every 3 hours. If these pieces of legislation are passed, Floridians will not be safer. The