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GUN VIOLENCE
April 5, 2001
Joni Kletter, Everett alum
Yes,
I can safely say my Everett experience ultimately gave me the skills
to fight the gun lobby. In June 1999 I became an Everett intern
at the Alliance for Justice (AFJ), working on the Co/Motion Program's
Youth Gun Violence Prevention Initiative. Although I am from a rural
area where hunting is a popular sport, my only experience with guns
consisted of finding my dad's handgun in the top drawer of his dresser
as a child. Fortunately, my curiosity ended there.
When
I started at the Alliance, I figured I would be training students
to become young social justice advocates; I was a tutor and activist
in college and enjoyed working with young people. However, my supervisors
at AFJ wanted me to learn more about the impact of guns on the United
States and I soon found myself doing a lot of research as well as
training. I began surfing websites, reading articles, and following
legislation that pertained to guns. I learned many statistics and
facts: 12 children die everyday from guns. Guns are one of the few
consumer products not regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
There are over 2,000 gun shows each year in America, where (in many
states) anyone can buy a gun without having to undergo a background
check. In one year, firearms killed no children in Japan, 19 in
Great Britain, 153 in Canada, and 5,285 in the United States. My
objective for being in DC quickly changed from one of an educator
to one of a student as well.
The
more I learned, the more confusing it all became. I wondered, why
is it easier to sell a gun than a teddy bear in this country? Many
toys and other consumer products are recalled when they are found
to be unsafe for children, yet no type of gun has ever been recalled
though many are defective and extremely unsafe. Also, why wasn't
anyone doing anything to strengthen the laws? Why wasn't Congress
acting, even after Columbine and a number of other highly publicized
school shootings? Why were people so willing to accept the high
rates of gun violence in America when every other industrialized
country had forbidden this type of senseless violence? The problem,
I found, wasn't the inaction of gun control organizations in America,
but rather the power of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and
its close ally, the gun industry.
For
over 100 years, the NRA has fought every sensible piece of gun control
legislation in the name of the Second Amendment. In the 1980's,
they even tried to have the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
(the federal agency that regulates guns) dismantled. The NRA has
over 700 employees at its national office while its main opposition,
Handgun Control Inc., has about 40. In addition, the NRA has an
incredible grassroots network-including many members who vote solely
on this issue-and the organization contributes considerable financial
support to a number of elected officials' campaigns (they spent
over $20 million in the 2000 election cycle).
What could I do as a college student to fight a powerful
gun lobby? While in DC during the summer of 1999, I happened to
come across an email from a guy named Mike Gipstein, who was starting
a new, national organization: Campus Alliance to End Gun Violence.
Feeling empowered, I went back to Yale and started the first CAEGV
chapter. During the year, we organized two big fundraisers, held
debates, hosted elected officials to come speak out about gun violence,
and we disseminated anti-gun violence information to students. I'm
currently on the board of Campus Alliance, trying to help it to
expand and move forward.
After graduating in May 2000, I went back to the Alliance
for Justice to begin working on the First Monday Program, a two-year
anti-gun violence campaign for college and graduate students that
kicked off on October 2, 2000. When I first wrote this essay, First
Monday 2000 had not yet begun, and I was encouraging Everett interns
to start programs at their schools in September. Now, I can say
I have worked with over 100 college campuses during the last year
and First Monday was a great success! Throughout the year, First
Monday students educated fellow students with our documentary film
on gun violence, organized debates, invited speakers to campus,
and lobbied Congress with postcards and phone calls.
I will be leaving AFJ soon to attend law school,
but I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the gun control movement
expand at the college level. I am proud of myself and everyone who
helped make this happen. Although I am leaving, First Monday 2001
will begin this summer and I encourage you to get involved, either
on campus or in your community. Thanks to the Alliance for Justice
and Henry and Edith Everett for providing me with this opportunity.
www.firstmonday2001.com
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