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Changing the Conversation:America’s Gun Violence
Epidemic
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Main Points Gun Violence is not a partisan issue, it is an American
issue affecting urban, suburban, small town & rural communities
Public health is a unifying framework of diverse disciplines
Authentic public awareness creates momentum to refocus
Research must be funded and critical thinking expanded
Historically, strong coalitions invite a sustained conversation
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Creating a Fresh Conversation
Which Framework Offers Fresh Potential & Energy? Gun Rights vs. Gun Control Public Health and Prevention
Public Health is a Unifying Force Broadens & sustains the conversation Multiple disciplines combine forces
Strategies to Combat Epidemics Cast a wide net Offer solutions Plan preventive strategies Pinpoint the logical projections
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U.S. Gun Violence Before a child in the U.S. reaches 15 (compared to a
child in the rest of the industrialized world), he/she is: 5 times more likely to be murdered Twice as likely to commit suicide 12 times more likely to die of a gun related death
(per Harvard Injury Control Research Center, Matthew Miller: Journal of Trauma, February 2001)
History Politicians, law enforcement, media – all looked to for
leadership Rampant polarization makes none able to deliver results
Present Americans are longing for sensible solutions People divided – public awareness & critical thinking
needed Finding commonality to break through the polarization
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We Are All in this Together
We need a new a framework to help prevent: Suicides
The leading cause (55%) of gun fatalities annually Most often occur in rural and suburban areas
Urban Homicides Devastation and huge incarceration rates in central
cities
Domestic Violence Often the lead category of homicides outside of
urban centers
Mass Shootings Increasing and knowing no boundaries
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Million Mom March for Sensible Gun Laws
Mothers Day, 2000 - in the wake of Columbine Called women and others to Washington to express moral
outrage and effect common sense gun laws Satellite marches across U.S. – in all totaled over a million Media downplayed – participants felt a turning point had
occurred MMM became part of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun
Violence
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2000 - 2012
Gun Lobby Escalates Political Activity
Unprecedented Levels of Political Polarization
Strategy shifts from reactive to proactive
State legislatures flood with efforts to expand gun rights
Increased pressure & bullying of politicians is rampant
Public Opinion Neutralizes
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Newtown, CT Momentum builds again in aftermath of horror
President Obama takes steps, including reinstatement of C.D.C. research on gun violence
Public Opinion is again shifting to moral outrage
How do we convert energy to create authentic change? NEED: A sustained conversation that will break through
polarization to inspire and immediately empower a diverse range of currently divided citizens to come together.
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Summary We need to think in complex ways about this dilemma – and we
need tools – to be able to act for as long as it takes:
Gun Violence is not a partisan issue, it is an American issue affecting urban, suburban, small town & rural communities
Public health is a unifying framework of diverse disciplines
Authentic public awareness creates momentum to refocus
Research must be funded and critical thinking expanded
Historically, strong coalitions invite a sustained conversation
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January 2013!“Martin Luther King, Jr. showed our nation a path toward equality and justice for all of its citizens. He didn’t do it through politics of hate and division. He did it by building a coalition of Americans from all backgrounds, bringing people together to accomplish a common goal. That is the spirit that defines America---and it is the heart of our grassroots network today. We know that if we work together, there is nothing we can’t achieve.”
Quote/Tammy Baldwin, January 17, 2013
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