Saturday, August 28, 2004

Here's a good piece by Jane Brody on children and guns; she sites a study that found gun owners with children at home were less likely to keep guns locked than were gun owners with no children! That just leaves me speechless.

And just in time to commemorate Bush's planned cave-in to the NRA on the expiring Assault Weapons Ban ---
A friend in NY asked me to pass along this New Yorkers Against Gun Violence Media Advisory:

“President Bush is Out to Lunch” Press Conference

30,000 Americans Die from Guns Each Year and Bush is Reneging on Pledge to Renew Assault Weapons Ban

Republican National Convention Protest Photo Opportunity: SEPT 1ST*

WHAT: A rare National Press Conference with President Bush. As is typically the case, there will be obfuscation and no real answers provided to questions regarding the safety of all Americans and New Yorkers in particular given the Al Qaeda threat. Terrorists, mass murderers and other criminals know that America provides cheap and easy access to assault weapons. Bush will make it even easier to acquire these guns by allowing the assault weapons ban to expire on September 13th. These issues will be raised during a mock press conference with five eight foot tall Bush puppets (often contradicting one another) hosted by New Yorkers Against Gun Violence (NYAGV). In addition, the event will include a number of different speakers throughout the program.

WHERE: Washington Square Park (Manhattan) Teen Plaza (between fountain & Garibaldi Statue)

WHEN: Wednesday, September 1, 2004, 11:30am – 3:00pm (Press conferences to be held at 12 noon, 1pm & 2pm)

WHO: President Bush (five puppets); Gun Violence Survivors; Dr. Sheldon Teperman, Trauma Surgeon, Jacobi Medical Center; Andy Pelosi & Jackie Kuhls (Executive Director & public policy directors of NYAGV); Ellen Freudenheim, Co-Founder, The Silent March; Edie Smith, Pres., NY State Council, Million Mom March; Carole Stiller, Pres., NJ State Council, Million Mom March

WHY: The Bush administration has squandered lives by not addressing a major public health crisis. 30,000 Americans die at the end of a gun each year. Instead of tackling or even acknowledging the problem, Bush and the Republican Congress are making it worse by allowing the federal assault weapons ban to expire on September 13th, rather than working to renew and strengthening the ban. One in five law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty between 1998 – 2001 was killed with an assault weapon. Some of America’s most heinous recent crimes such as the Washington DC sniper murders and the Columbine High School massacre were committed with assault weapons.

VISUALS: Five 8-foot puppets resembling President Bush sitting around a dinner table – out to lunch. Posters displaying assault weapons.

*Individual photo opportunities can be arranged before Sept. 1st by contacting Andy Pelosi.

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