March for Change
Change the Conversation. Change the Culture. Change the Law.

Join us in our push to change laws in Connecticut.

Thursday, February 14th, 11am,
State Capital, Hartford, Connecticut

You can find us on Facebook at March for Change or by logging on to www.MarchforChange.org.

See you in Hartford. Spread the Word.

 

Statement on Shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, CT

There are no words to even begin to express our sorrow and outrage over the tragedy that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. Twenty families woke up Friday morning, got their kids dressed and sent them off to school not knowing it would be the last time they would see their children alive.

As Governor Malloy put it, "Evil visited this community today." A lone gunman, a 20-year-old man, entered the building and fired at least 100 rounds, killing twenty children and six adults.

This tragedy will leave lasting scars on the children who witnessed the blood, on the families who lost loved ones, and on the family, friends, neighbors, and communities of those killed and injured.

As we mourn those lost we must also raise our voices and call on our political leaders to finally begin a serious, in-depth discussion on how to prevent the nonstop flow of gun violence that plagues our nation.

Please help us to do that by signing this petition: http://bit.ly/lawcenterpetition.

Help us Fight Gun Violence... A generous Board member has offered to match total donations received for this appeal up to $20,000.00. Just Click here to donate now.

Like so many other problems in our country, guns have become a polarizing topic. But if now is not the time to talk about our gun policies, when is?

It was past time when Congresswoman Giffords and 18 others were shot in Tucson. It was past time when 12 people were killed and another 50 injured simply watching a movie in Aurora. It was past time when a gunman opened fire in a crowded mall in Oregon last week. Now IS the time. The shooting at Sandy Hook is a national tragedy and an urgent call for gun control reform. Now is the time to take action.

In the days ahead we expect to hear from President Obama as well as the leaders in the Congress and the Senate about what they plan to do to put an end to this senseless bloodshed. This is not the time for rhetoric, this is the time for concrete plans and action.

Here is what Mayor Michael Bloomberg said today:

"With all the carnage from gun violence in our country, it's still almost impossible to believe that a mass shooting in a kindergarten class could happen. It has come to that. Not even kindergarteners learning their A,B,Cs are safe. We heard after Columbine that it was too soon to talk about gun laws. We heard it after Virginia Tech. After Tucson and Aurora and Oak Creek. And now we are hearing it again. For every day we wait, 34 more people are murdered with guns. Today, many of them were five year-olds.

President Obama rightly sent his heartfelt condolences to the families in Newtown. But the country needs him to send a bill to Congress to fix this problem. Calling for 'meaningful action' is not enough. We need immediate action. We have heard all the rhetoric before. What we have not seen is leadership - not from the White House and not from Congress. That must end today. This is a national tragedy and it demands a national response. My deepest sympathies are with the families of all those affected, and my determination to stop this madness is stronger than ever."

We all deserve the right to be safe and free from gun violence. As we gather with our families to celebrate this holiday season, let us remember the tens of thousands of people who are injured and die every year in this country from guns. And let us demand that our elected officials finally find the courage they need to address this serious crisis.

Please -- Sign the petition. Join us in demanding that our leaders defend our safety.

Help us Fight Gun Violence... A generous Board member has offered to match total donations received for this appeal up to $20,000.00. Just Click here to donate now.

Governor Malloy Announces Major Initiative To Reduce Urban Gun Violence

Governor Malloy announced a new program in Hartford on June 20 aimed at reducing gun violence in Connecticut's three largest cities: Bridgeport, Hartford, and New Haven.

The decision to direct the program specifically toward the three largest cities was an obvious one when considering the fact that of the 367 gun homicides committed in CT during the last four years, 269 (73.3%) occurred in those three cities.

The strategy of the program is one of "Focused Deterrence." The program follows a model used successfully in Boston and Providence among other cities. (Read More).

Total Firearms Deaths - 2011

According to data released ny the Office of the Connecticut Medical Examiner, firearms deaths in Connecticut in 2011 reached a total of 216: 102 homicides and 114 suicides.

The homicides affected mostly minorities: 70 victims (68.6%) were African American and 16 (15.7%) were Latino.

The suicide data was very different as Caucasians accounted for 92.1% of the 114 victims.

93 of the homicide victims were male while 9 were female. Of the suicide victims, 108 were male and 6 female. (See Chart for Data).

Firearm Homicides Increasing in Connecticut

Connecticut homicides increased again in 2011. We had 102 firearm homicides in 2011. The total compares with 101 in 2010, 76 in 2009, and 88 in 2008.

(For firearm totals by city, see chart.)

20th Anniversary

CT Against Gun Violence celebrated their 20th anniversary with an event at the Burr Homestead in Fairfield Connecticut. The women who founded the organization were honored at the event.

Some current and past CAGV Board Members. L to R: Lisa Labella; Marty Isaac; Claire Gold; Carolyn Vermont; Gloria Bindelglass; Monica Prangley; Ron Pincer; Mary Rose; Phil Hamilton; Marge Hiller.

It is because of the spirit of those women who were determined that Connecticut was not to be one of the states overwhelmed by gun violence that CAGV exists today. Twenty years later the work they started has resulted in Connecticut being graded by the Brady Campaign as the fifth ranked state in terms of the effectiveness of their gun violence prevention laws. (Read More)

Gun Ownership Decreasing

Gun ownership in the United States is decreasing. Although the gun lobby would like us to believe that's not the case, the facts are irrefutable. According to a new report by the Violence Policy Center analyzing nearly four decades of survey data from the independent General Social Survey (GSS) conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, household gun ownership peaked in 1977, when 54 percent of American households had a gun. In 2010 only 32.3 percent of American households had a gun--the lowest level ever recorded by the GSS. The reality is that contrary to the marketing claims of the firearms industry and gun lobby, household gun ownership continues to shrink while an increasing majority of American households are gun-free.