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Letter: Join The Effort To Prevent Gun Violence

NORWALK, Conn. ? The Norwalk Daily Voice accepts signed, original letters to the editor. We reserve the right to edit submissions, but we ask that you keep your correspondence under 500 words. Please send letters to norwalk@dailyvoice.com.

To the editor:

The tragic massacre in Sandy Hook has spurred much public discourse. I want to thank our mayor for some action he has taken on this subject and invite my fellow Norwalkers to join grassroots movements in progress.

First, thank you, Mayor Moccia, for being one of 750 mayors – including 12 in Connecticut – to sign the Dec. 19, 2012 letter from Mayors Against Illegal Guns! While we may disagree about how to get there, I hope we can work together to keep illegal guns from making their way from lax Southern states to Norwalk. After all, we are the ones who bear the terrible burden of increased gun violence, preventable death, and the expenditure of scarce tax dollars to combat the influx of illegal guns. [http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/media-center/letter_121912.shtml]

Second, I want to let you know about several options – both online and in person – available for those who would like to address gun violence in Norwalk and our surrounding communities. I have started a Facebook page, “CT Against Gun Violence-Norwalk Chapter.”

Although I am obviously a Democrat – having been elected to the Common Council on the Democratic line – I welcome people of ALL political persuasions on this Facebook page.

We are a place for Norwalkers who want to engage in respectful dialogue about issues pertaining to gun violence. Our primary organizing goal is coordinating transportation for the Valentine’s Day March for Change in Hartford.

What if you are sick of discourse and want to focus on ACTION? I highly recommend a Facebook page started by another Norwalker: One Million Moms for Gun Control, Fairfield County Chapter. Here, you can focus on contacting your elected representatives to lobby for common-sense gun safety legislation. Save the date for our upcoming Mother’s Day March on Washington, D.C: May 12, 2013.

What if you want to learn a little more about how organizations – like our local Domestic Violence Crisis Centers – deal with the daily impact of gun violence on our community? I encourage you to visit the Facebook page of CT Against Gun Violence-Wilton Chapter.

And for those who prefer face-to-face encounters to Facebook, consider attending the following upcoming events in our area:

On Jan. 10, Wilton’s Domestic Violence Task Force will hold two events. Please fit one into your schedule. At 10 a.m. and at 7 p.m. you may go to the Wilton Library to hear people like forensic psychologist David Bernstein and Susan Delaney of the Domestic Violence Crisis Center discuss how to assess the threat of gun violence in a given situation.

On Jan.14, the Inter-Faith Council of Southwestern CT –in cooperation with the Stamford NAACP – will host “Fairfield County: Stand Against Violence Effectively!” Join me in listening to the Executive Director of Connecticut Against Gun Violence. Learn more about the March for Change (February 14 @ 11 a.m., Hartford Capitol). The SAVE meeting is Monday, January 14 at 7 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, One Walton Place at Bedford Street, Stamford. For more information, call (203) 348-2800 or go to www.interfaithcouncil.org.

Norwalkers know gun violence touched my own family in 2008. I campaigned in 2011 to prevent other Norwalk families from going through the pain mine encountered when my beloved bichon/poodle mix, Scrappy, was shot to death in my backyard. Please choose one of the aforementioned venues to find out how you can help us address gun violence in the greater Norwalk area.

Thank you,

Anna Duleep

Norwalk Common Councilwoman (D-At-Large)

 

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