Coalition Against Gun Violence

The Coalition Against Gun Violence invites you to attend our 13th Anniversary Celebration – an elegant luncheon on Saturday, April 19, 2007, 11:30 a.m. at Santa Barbara’s Hotel Mar Monte, located at 1111 E. Cabrillo Boulevard. Our theme this year is “Bullets or Crayons: What Can We Do to Help Our Youth Make Correct Choices.” Continuing a tradition begun last year, we will be honoring the memories of individuals who have been victims of gun violence with the “Bell Ceremony,” which will include participation by anyone in the audience who has lost a family member or friend to gun violence.

We are honored to have as our keynote speaker, Assemblyman Kevin de León. Assemblyman de León has been representing the 45th District of Los Angeles since 2006. He has worked as a community organizer to empower working families and the poor.is an advocate for public schools and worked as a U.S. Citizenship and English as a Second Language teacher. During his five years at the California Teachers Association, Assemblyman de León fought for more funding for “high-priority schools” in low-income neighborhoods, more school construction, and health insurance for children.

As a Senior Associate for the National Education Association in Washington, DC, Assemblyman de León advocated for more resources for schools in low-income neighborhoods. He also coordinated a team that fought schemes to take funds from public schools in the form of taxpayer-funded vouchers.thwarted efforts to impose academic censorship on public school teachers.

Now, as an Assemblyman, in addition to sitting on several committees, including the Select Committee on Alcohol & Drug Abuse, de León has the important job of assistant majority floor leader and is in charge of helping Democrats get elected. He says, “People think of California as a progressive, liberal state – and it is – but 48 of its 58 counties are Republican. My job is to protect the Democratic majority.”

Assemblyman de León, who is fluent in two languages, grew up in the San Diego barrio of Logan Heights. The son of a maid at San Diego’s Hotel Del Coronado, he was the first in his family to graduate from high school. He attended U.C. Santa Barbara and graduated from Pitzer College at the Claremont Colleges with Honors. He has one daughter, Lluvia.

Please call (805) 564-6803 for further information or to be sure you receive an invitation, send an email to sbcoalitionagv@hotmail.com.

A coalition of 52 mayors, including Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum, gathered in Washington DC prior to the opening of a 3-day meeting of the US Conference of Mayors, to urge Congress to crack down on the trade of illegal firearms. The coalition known as “Mayors Against Illegal Guns”– which has grown to more than 120 mayors from some of the nation’s largest cities – vowed to press for federal legislation to give cities greater access to trace data. Law enforcement needs this data to determine the origin of guns used in crimes. A trace tracks the weapon’s sales history from manufacturer to distributor to retailer to buyer. Local laws are considered insufficient to fight the use of illegal weapons. Mayor Adrian Fenty (Wash., DC.), said the federal government needs to have one standard for dealing with illegal guns.

The mayors said their top priority is to fight legislation pushed by U.S. Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kansas) that restricts public access to federal data that trace the possession of guns. In point of fact, an appropriation bill has passed each year since 2003 that banned the federal bureau of ATF from releasing gun trace data, except to police officials and prosecutors investigating or prosecuting a crime. The provisions prevent the data from being used in civil lawsuits against manufacturers or gun dealers.

Trace data reveals that only about one percent of gun-dealers account for 60% of all guns used in crimes. These dealers must be held accountable and one of the best ways to do so is by using trace data to identify the dealers who are the worst and then take enforcement actions against them – similar to any other business that repeatedly violated the law. For the past 4 years, Congress has prohibited law enforcement from using trace data to establish cause for revoking rogue dealers’ licenses. Congress has not only restricted access to key evidence – it has ruled it inadmissible.

With Congress now under the control of the Democrats, who are generally more favorable to gun control, the 2003 provision may be rescinded this year. To advance that goal, a bi-partisan task force of four House members concerned about illegal guns – Charles Rangel (D-NY), John Conyers Jr. (D-MI), Peter King (R-NY) and Mark Steven Kirk (R-IL) – has been created.

Ray Schoenke, President of the American Hunters and Shooters Association, a small gun-rights group that describes itself as an alternative to the NRA, addressed the mayors and said that he thought many of their ideas were reasonable. “It’s time to begin rebuilding the respect for our hunting and shooting heritage, which for the last 30 years has been tarnished by gun-rights extremists” Mr. Schoenke said.

Mayors, police chiefs and gun owners can show Congress that finding common ground will ultimately solve gun-related crimes and save lives.

CAGV’S 13th Anniversary Celebration

"Bullets or Crayons"

BUILDING
VIOLENCE-FREE HOMES & COMMUNITIES

With Special Introductory Speaker, Michael Mehas

Guns in Colleges and Schools? The gun lobby is threatening school safety. Visit the Brady Campaign.

"D.C. Gun Case: The Second Amendment on Trial" and a 2008 Report on Regulating Guns in America: Visit the Legal Community Against Violence (LCAV) website... click the logo below:

A Child’s Perception of
Gun Violence & the Family

Visit
Stop The NRA Website