The November 13 Hot Topics, “How Florida Can Reduce Gun Violence” at the Winter Park Events Center, will focus on grassroots programs that can make communities safer, a discussion hosted by the League of Women Voters of Orange County. Moderator is Patti Brigham, former president of the League of Women Voters of Florida and a co-founder of the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence.
Doors open at 11 a.m. for a buffet lunch. The discussion starts at 11:45 a.m. at 1050 W. Morse Blvd. in Winter Park and ends at 1 p.m. Tickets are $30 for League members, $37 non-members. Register at www.LWVOC.org/HotTopics
The panel includes Abraham Morris, who directs Orlando’s Community Violence Intervention model to reduce gun violence and criminal justice involvement and My Brother’s Keeper Initiative to reduce school suspensions and expulsions; Ruben Saldaña, who has been nominated as Central Floridian of the Year and a former gang member who now runs mixed martial arts and boxing programs designed to steer kids away from street violence; and Dr. Shanta Barton-Stubbs, who founded and directs the New Image Youth Center, a safe place for at-risk children to participate in fitness and mentoring programs.
The panel discussion will shed light on programs run by police, local governments, businesses, nonprofits and League of Women Voters local chapters to make the public more aware of how to store firearms safely and mentoring young people to understand that street violence is the wrong path for them. Public service announcement campaigns and distributing free gun locks have proven to be popular ways to get out the message that responsible gun owners should keep firearms safely stored in their vehicles and in their homes. Statistics show that keeping loaded and unlocked guns in vehicles and homes often results in tragic deaths and leads to an increase in violent crime.
Some questions to be discussed:
· What can gun owners do to protect their property and to prevent potential harm?
· How can you talk at-risk youth into believing that they have a future other than in gangs?
· What are police doing to prevent theft of loaded guns from vehicles, weapons that likely will be used to commit future violent crime?
Hot Topics is streamed live on the League’s Facebook page Facebook and an edited version will be available on the League’s YouTube channel, League of Women Voters Orange County - YouTube.
Visionary sponsors: Phil and Jennifer Anderson. Silver sponsors: Lyn and David Berelsman and Voting Voices — Michele Levy, Charley Williams, and Laurie and Richard Wack. Bronze sponsors: Alex and the Hon. Cynthia Mackinnon.