To the editor:
Over two decades ago, I was a student at Columbine High School, which at that time, was the site of one of the most deadly school shootings in American history.
Now 24 years later, the experience has irrevocably shaped my views as a mother, gun violence survivor and proud Pelham community member. It is also why reelecting gun sense candidates like Maura Curtin and Kristen Burke for Pelham Town Council is so essential.
Why should Curtin and Burke’s stance on gun sense matter to you? As we’ve seen from the tragic events in Maine over the past week, this is a local issue. Beyond that, gun violence has become the leading cause of death for our children and teens in the U.S., according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics.
In the wake of each of these tragedies, the question always surfaces, “what could have been done to stop this?” The fact of the matter is it starts at the local level by supporting candidates that share our collective values of preserving the health and safety of our community.
Curtin and Burke will make sure our safety comes first by being vocal advocates in Pelham on the issue of gun violence prevention. Please join me on Nov. 7 and vote for Maura Curtin and Kristen Burke for town council.
Salli Garrigan
15 Country Club Lane
Bob Shepherd • Oct 31, 2023 at 3:26 pm
On this subject, it is easy to obtain a gun in a country with more guns than people, no matter the regulations put in place. Therefore it’s all about being proactive no matter where you find yourself should this unfortunate and crazy scenario become initiated in your presence. I’ve tried for 10 years to get the Pelham schools to teach those students over the age of 12 and all staff of schools including for those under 12,plus any parents interested to learn the options based method of Run, Hide, Fight… the only 3 options available should you be there without a firearm yourself. It works in schools, workplaces, airports, shopping centres, anywhere you may find yourself. As I cannot put my website in the comments section, please Google Bob Shepherd Author, and it’s always my top post. More and more schools and workplaces around the USA are adopting this method today, even though I’ve been teaching it around the world since the 1980s, yet Pelham seems for some reason loathed to change and stick to the rigid lockdown only. Speed plus distance equals survival! I’m happy to talk to anyone in Pelham about this method completely free of charge for as long as I live here. A safe life to all in this ever increasingly bad world, Bob Shepherd.
Peter Uliano • Oct 31, 2023 at 6:55 pm
Hey Bob,
I would love to chat. I instruct and have a background in LE. I would love to discuss something along these lines w/ you. Peter Uliano
Bob Shepherd • Nov 1, 2023 at 9:42 am
Peter,
I sent you an email yesterday with my contact details when you got in touch via my blog.
Cheers,
Bob.
Barry Graubart • Nov 2, 2023 at 2:21 pm
While I cannot speak to the specific training you are providing, it’s important to note that much of the training used in schools – and, in particular, active shooter drills, have not been proven effective. As noted in a comprehensive research report on this topic, conducted by Everytown for Gun Safety, “there is almost no research affirming the value of active shooter drills for preventing school shootings or protecting the school community when shootings do occur.”
However, what the research does show is that “active shooter drills in schools are associated with increases in depression (39%), stress and anxiety (42%), and physiological health problems (23%) overall, including children from as young as five years old up to high schoolers, their parents, and teachers.”
We know that the best way to prevent gun deaths is to pass policies to reduce the access to guns by those who should not have them. And, it’s important that any training that is delivered through schools be trauma-informed, so that we don’t end up causing more emotional harm to children than benefit.
Bob Shepherd • Nov 3, 2023 at 12:15 pm
Barry, it’s a shame that you didn’t read my “How Best To Survive A School Shooting” as I pointed out in my comment by simply Googling Bob Shepherd Author…read back my initial comment. Others have, and have been in touch since reading it.
I’ve heard and answered comments like yours over the years in different countries.
I can assure you, there is nothing more traumatic for a child or a teacher, than to be locked down in a classroom, simply to go through a “tick in the box” drill, not knowing what your true options are. Or even worse, being locked down in a real scenario.
When the options based drill is taught correctly, it puts all students, teachers and parents at ease, as knowledge simply dispels fear.
Perhaps you should read my blog post first.
Very best regards,
Bob.
Ralph Pilla • Oct 31, 2023 at 9:12 am
Thank you for bringing attention to this issue. Offering thoughts and prayers followed by inaction after these many tragedies rings hollow and is beyond getting old.
Lisa Robb • Oct 30, 2023 at 7:40 pm
Thank you for this letter.
It prompts me to publically endose these two women too.
I am sorry your youth was shaped by such awful gun violence and I admire your courage to openly advocate for candiates who want to break the gun violence cycle.
I support you and also Curtin/Burke for Town Council.
Lisa Robb
Barry Graubart • Oct 30, 2023 at 3:51 pm
Thank you.
As a Moms Demand Action volunteer, I often find myself explaining that yes, gun violence prevention IS a local issue.
Of course we need great federal and state laws (and NY has the 2nd strongest gun laws in the country) but implementation matters, and that happens locally.
Even within NY, rates of gun violence vary tremendously – upstate, many counties like Steuben County have a rate of gun violence 2-3x that of Westchester or NYC, because they don’t prioritize the issue.
I support Curtin and Burke because I know that they will prioritize our children’s safety and there can be no higher priority than that.
Ferdidand Spucci • Oct 30, 2023 at 10:10 pm
I share your sorrows but am totally convinced that the answer is not more gun control. We have more than enough laws. What we don’t have is a whole list of things:
1. We don’t have effective enforcement. We have DAs who refuse to prosecute and if the do, seek minimum sentences
2. We don’t have proactive mental health intervention
3. We are rapidly losing a “civil society” in which people can express their opinions without reprisals.
4. We forget that people who are intent on doing harm will do so with or without a firearm.
5. We ignore the fact that criminals don’t obey any of the laws which restrict the use of guns.
6. Our society has too often denigrated the police and condoned the wrongdoer.
Barry Graubart • Nov 2, 2023 at 2:09 pm
When looking at issues as complex as gun violence, it’s helpful to look at the data, and not just express generalizations.
The idea that criminals don’t obey laws may sound good, but what the data shows us is that gun violence in states with weak laws like Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri or Louisiana is 3-6x more than in states with strong gun laws like New York, Massachusetts or California.
And, when we look globally, the gun violence rate in the US is 25-100x that of peer countries like the UK, Germany or Italy. Citizens of those countries have the same levels of mental health issues. And civil discourse has broken down across the globe. The difference is that those citizens don’t have easy access to guns, the way that we do in the US.
It’s easy to say that criminals will just find an alternative, but does anyone believe the Maine shooter would have been able to kill 18 people with a knife? The reality is that guns not only enable massive destruction, but they let you do it from a distance.
Finally, as someone who works closely with gun violence survivors, I would note that the current Westchester DA has prioritized gun violence prevention in ways that her predecessors did not. Those who commit gun offenses here in Westchester are often charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
While there are many factors that contribute to gun violence, the data shows that the greatest predictor of gun violence for a community is easy, unfettered access to guns. And that’s why we need leaders at the Federal, State AND local levels who will work to keep our communities safe.