Tag Archives: gun violence

Wear Orange for National Gun Violence Awareness Day

Posted on May 28, 2018 by Carolyn Classen | Comments Off

Tucsonans know about mass shootings ever since January 8, 2011 when then CD 8 Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was shot, along with her District Director/later CD 2 Congressman Ron Barber, Congressional aide Gabe Zimmerman and Federal District Judge John Roll. 6 innocent people died that day and 13 were wounded, some of whom are now disabled like Gabby. Recently there was another mass shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas where 9 high school students and one teacher were killed. Is this gun violence just a way of life in America?

Attend this Wear Orange event on June 2nd and learn more about what can be done to reduce gun deaths and injuries.

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Posted in Activism, Carolyn Classen, Community, Tucson

Tagged "Under the Gun" film, Gabby Giffords, Gabe Zimmerman, gun safety, gun violence, John Roll, Wear orange, YWCA of Southern Arizona

Active Shooter, Violent Encounter Personal Preparedness Courses

Posted on May 21, 2018 by Carolyn Classen | Comments Off

by Tucson Police Department, T ucson Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security

“Have you ever wondered what you would do if you became involved in an active shooter situation? Do you want to learn about simple ways to protect yourself or your family if you find that a violent event is occurring right in front you? If so, then you are welcome to attend this lecture style course offered by the Tucson Police Department. The presentation will discuss preparedness strategies, potential warning signs and actual methods to consider if you are confronted with an active shooter. Included in the lecture will be discussion on the likelihood of being involved in this type of event, some looks back at past tragedies and some lessons learned from analyzing those events.”

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/active-shooter-violent-encounter-personal-preparedness-course-tickets-45788842661?aff=es2

Carolyn’s note: It’s a sign of the 21st Century times in May, 2018 that the Tucson Police Dept. has to offer courses like these (next one is on May 24, which incidentally is already booked full). Stay tuned for the next one. I’ve already posted a few of these courses at the TPD West Side Service Center on our image Calendar (since November, 2017).

Then the mass shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas just happened last week Friday. 10 innocent people (mostly high school students) were killed and 13 more were injured. Now we tragically know the answer to the April 19 “Who Will be Next?” Memorial service at the UA Mall.

Where do we feel safe nowadays? Only at the airports and in court houses where there are security guards and screening machines for metal objects/weapons.

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Posted in Carolyn Classen, Community, Gun Policies, Tucson

Tagged "Who Will be Next" memorial service, active shooter, gun safety, gun violence, TPD, Tucson Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Tucson Police Department, Westside Service Center

Democratic Candidates for Tucson’s CD2 Congressional Seat Renew their Demand for Gun Safety

Posted on May 20, 2018 by Larry Bodine | 3 comments

Democratic candidates for Congress in CD2: Yahya Yuksel, Billy Kovacs, Ann Kirkpatrick, Mary Matiella, Bruce Wheeler, Barbara Sherry and Matt Heinz.

On the day when a teenage shooter killed 10 and injured 10 at a Texas school, all seven of the CD2 Congressional candidates renewed their demand for gun safety legislation.

The candidate forum took place on Friday, May 18, for the residents at an active-living retirement community in Tucson. The candidates are Yahya Yuksel, Billy Kovacs, Ann Kirkpatrick, Mary Matiella, Bruce Wheeler, Barbara Sherry and Matt Heinz.

Mary Matiella

“My heart is broken over the shooting in Santa Fe, Texas. That is horrible. One more time we are just beyond ourselves with the pain we feel.”

“I have a cousin who was murdered in her home in front of her children. The most vulnerable are the children in schools. Women in the US are 15 times more likely to be killed by a gun than in other developed countries. We have to do something big. All we want is sensible gun legislation. We’re not trying to take on the Second Amendment. We should keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. Why would you not do that?”

Ann Kirkpatrick

“Just today my heart was broken one more time because 10 families are not going to have their children home for dinner because of a school shooting today. I was a law clerk for Judge John Roll when he was shot and Gabby was injured. It was something I’ll never, ever get over. Enough is enough.”

“Preventing gun violence has nothing to do with the Second Amendment. It says people in the US have a right to bear arms and to have a well-regulated militia. What we have is a completely unregulated system, that we need to have regulated to keep our children and victims of domestic violence safe, and to keep terrorists from getting guns in our country.”

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Posted in Arizona Congressional Races, Campaigns, Congress, Crime, Debates, Economics, Election Integrity, Elections, Gun Policies, Larry Bodine, Political Events

Tagged AR15, bump stocks, Dodd-Frank, domestic violence, Fortune 500, gun violence, Judge John Roll, Medicare For All, poverty, school shooting, second amendment, student debt

Ducey & #AZLeg Debate Gun Violence Prevention Ideas

Posted on March 20, 2018 by Pamela Powers Hannley | 1 comment

Arizona House Democrats call the Governor’s gun safety plan a “missed opportunity” at meaningful reform to curb gun violence and the loss of innocent lives.

Since the Parkland High School massacre a few weeks ago, students across the country have been demanding that elected officials do their jobs and protect them against gun violence in schools and other public places.

Last week, 75 students visited the Arizona Legislature and the Governor’s Tower to ask for legislation on universal background checks, banning bump stocks, and more counselors (not more guns) in schools.

Yesterday, Governor Doug Ducey revealed his plan to tackle gun violence in Arizona. It nips around the edges of what students and others have been demanding on social media, in our Legislative email inboxes, and in the streets, but it falls short of meaningful reform. For example, Ducey’s plan does include a small amount of money for more school counselors. Currently, Arizona has a ratio of approximately 1:920 counselors to students. The national recommendation is 1:250. Ducey’s bill would add ~120 new counselors– far less than needed. As with the opioid bill, Ducey met with a small group of Republican and Democratic Legislators to compile this plan, but this time, Ducey didn’t include any of the Democrats’ ideas. (Read the mainstream media’s take on Ducey’s plan here or read the Blue Meanie’s take here.)

What else could be done in Arizona? Below the fold, you’ll find a list of Democratic bills that never got a hearing.

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Posted in Arizona State Legislature, Civil Rights, Community, Ethics, Gun Policies, Justice, Legislation, Pamela Powers Hannley

Tagged Doug Ducey, Dr. Randy Freise, gun, gun violence, pamela powers hannley, Steve Farley

Republicans Recess as Students & #AZHouse Dems Stand in Silence for Gun Violence Victims

Posted on March 14, 2018 by Pamela Powers Hannley | 3 comments

Rep. Isela Blanc welcomes the March for Our Lives students to the Arizona House.

More than 75 students took a day out of their spring vacation to visit the Arizona Legislature today, March 14, 2018, to advocate for safe schools and safe public places.

The students met with lawmakers in the morning and attended the Arizona House Floor Session in the afternoon. During the always-entertaining points of personal privilege, 24 Democrats stood up, introduced three or four of the students, read a short message to lawmakers from one of the students, and repeated their three demands: universal background checks on all gun sales, banning bump stocks, and more counselors not guns in schools.

After 24 introductions, 24 personal student messages to lawmakers and 24 re-statements of their three common and popular demands, Rep. Kirsten Engel (Dem #25) stood up and read a statement about today being the one-month anniversary of the Stoneman-Douglas High School Shooting and slowly read the name and age of each victim. At the end, she asked for 17 minutes of silence, one for each victim.

Speaker Mesnard said that there had been other tragedies, and every tragedy gets only one moment of silence. After a longish moment, Mesnard started the floor session, but the Democrats were still standing. When he realized that we weren’t going to sit, he recessed to allow the gallery to clear. The students all stood up and shouted “Never again!” several times. At the end, one young man shouted that lawmakers should do their jobs and protect them (paraphrasing). Why do Republicans shy away from common sense gun safety laws when they profess to be “pro-life”?

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Posted in Activism, Arizona State Legislature, Civil Rights, Community, Ethics, Giffords, Gun Policies, IOKIYAR, Justice, Legislation, Pamela Powers Hannley

Tagged gun violence, March For Our Lives, pamela powers hannley

Governor Ducey should work with Rep. Randy Friese on ‘risk warrants’

Posted on March 13, 2018 by AZ BlueMeanie | Comments Off

During a radio interview Monday evening, Governor Doug Ducey said he will ask lawmakers to adopt a law that would allow courts to take guns away from people who are violent or mentally ill. With backing of Governor Ducey, Arizona could be on verge of stricter gun laws:

Citing the massacre in Florida and other recent mass shootings, Ducey said parents and police need a tool so they can ask a judge to intervene in cases where a person has shown signs that they are a danger to others.

“If we can prevent it and use the power of the office and the law… that’s what we’re going to do and I intend to do it,” Ducey said during the interview on KTAR (92.3 FM). “I think we need to act in those situations.”

The interview came after governor held nine meetings last week about the issue. He met with lawmakers, educators, prosecutors, students and other groups to hear their ideas about how to improve school safety after the shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people.

Legislation Ducey described Monday could be part of a compromise proposal.

Well, governor, do your research. You do not have to reinvent the wheel because there already is model legislation from other states that addresses this issue.

In 1999, Connecticut became the first state to pass a law that allows police to preemptively remove firearms from persons deemed at risk of causing serious injury to others or self. The statute, C.G.S. § 29-38c, authorizes time-limited gun removal (for up to one year) under a civil court “risk warrant” process based on probable cause, even if the person of concern has no record of a gun-disqualifying mental health or criminal adjudication.

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