by David Safier
In a playground at Jacobs Park, Karin Uhlich and three school superintendents said people should not to let an NRA report about school violence distract us from the urgent need for Congress to pass a comprehensive gun background check bill. Uhlich said everyone should contact Senators McCain and Flake and urge them to support the bill.
The NRA released a 225 page report about the problems of violence in the schools and ways to prevent them, including arming school personnel. Uhlich said the report was an attempt to narrow our focus onto schools and away from the upcoming vote on background checks.
Former Amphi Superintendent Vicki Balentine noted that not one of the three superintendents had a death by gun violence in any of their schools during their tenures. Former TUSD
Superintendent Roger Pfeuffer added that since the Newtown shooting, many times more children have been killed by gun violence than were killed in the school that day. "The issue of school safety is dear to all our hearts," Pfeuffer said, "but I want children to be safe wherever they are."
The American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten put out a press release responding to the NRA report:
“Today’s NRA proposal is a cruel hoax that will fail to keep our children and schools safe. It is simply designed to assist gun manufacturers flood the nation and our schools with more guns and large magazine clips, which will simply lead to more violence. . . . If we are serious about protecting our children and our communities, Congress must reject the NRA’s dangerous posturing and follow the lead of the Connecticut Legislature in enacting bipartisan, commonsense gun safety legislation, including comprehensive background checks, and a ban on large magazine clips and military assault weapons. These reforms would strike at the heart of America’s gun violence epidemic."
Contact John McCain's DC office — (202) 224–2235 — or his Tucson office — (520) 670-6334.
Contact Jeff Flake's DC office — (202) 224–4521 — or his Tucson office — (520) 575–8633.