 May/Summer 2000 (XXXVIII 3) |
bout 2 years ago, I became increasingly disturbed by our local newspapers' reports of the increasing number of gun injuries and deaths in York County. I decided to form a working group of people who had a similar interest and concern and sought the backing of an influential local group called the Healthy York County Coalition.
I decided to intentionally put into practical use the basic Quaker belief of "there is that of God in everyone." I opened our committee to everyone, including those with opposite political beliefs. Initially, individuals with a more liberal bent and people in the criminal justice system attended. Later, a brief note about our committee appeared in our evening paper, which resulted in a member of the National Rifle Association attending. I greeted him warmly and told him how happy I was to have someone as part of our group who would have a different opinion on the subject. I think he was pleasantly surprised. He eventually invited several other NRA members. He and one of his friends have remained two of the most consistent members of our committee.
The most valuable part of our meetings is that we were all willing to sit down and talk openly, and on occasion, somewhat heatedly. He brought me thoughtful articles and information to support the NRA position (which I would at times rebut), while I would present literature from medical articles (I am a family physician) and information from the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence (CPHV) (which he rightfully commented misstated the true facts at times). Our committee discussions went on for a number of months with little direction, to the frustration of some of the committee members, who dropped out, but with a very truthful exchange of information and feelings.
Each side conceded that there were valid points to be made by the other. It was then suggested that there was a common ground in education. Education of parents and children about the dangers and responsibilities of gun ownership has become our focus of action. York County has a large number of registered gun owners, hunters, collectors of guns, etc. As expected, many people do not know how to properly handle, care for, and safely store their guns. We have recently discovered through an anonymous survey that in one area of the county a significant number of teenagers are carrying guns, presumably without their parents' knowledge.
What have we done so far? We have distributed 1,500 pamphlets (English and Spanish) about gun safety from the NRA and the CPHV to 18 physicians' offices in our county. With these pamphlets, we enclosed a statement agreed to by all committee members concerning facts about gun injuries and deaths in York County over the past 4 years, factual statements about the responsibilities of gun ownership, the consequences of inappropriate storage and use, the concerns about a new purchase of a handgun by a woman, and the potential lethal consequences of a child with a gun and a depressed teenager with a gun. We also made suggestions for the purchase of inexpensive gun storage containers and an inexpensive handgun locking device, as well as for gun safety courses. We hope that this statement will serve as a basis for a local radio public service announcement and a health audiotape available through our local telephone service. Finally, our most direct action will be to go to local community gatherings in our county where we will show and discuss the NRA Eddie Eagle videotape for children in grades K through 5, while in another room we will show and discuss the videotape "In A Flash" (obtained from the American Friends Service Committee in Baltimore) for teenagers and parents. The former video instructs young children what to do if they come across a gun, while the latter video shows the consequences of gun violence and allows for active audience participation. At the end of these simultaneous presentations, we will bring everyone together for a brief instruction in gun safety given by a certified NRA instructor, and at the end of the program, we will give gift certificates towards the purchase of gun safety devices. We hope this program will begin in the fall, once we can convince the community of our unified purpose and that we don't have a hidden agenda.
In case you're wondering how our group decided so definitively to focus on education, the impetus and suggestion came from 4 wonderful teenagers from 2 different high schools whom we invited to one of our meetings. Their insight and ability to verbally persuade us was overwhelming.
Will we ultimately be successful in our efforts? Only time will tell. However a genuine success has already occurred in that seemingly dissimilar groups allowed themselves to have a serious discourse on a very controversial subject and then had the trust in one another to develop a friendship and bipartisan program which would be of benefit to the larger community. God works in unexpected ways if you allow for that opening.
Kenneth Woerthwein
Jacobus, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg Meeting (PA)
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:19 AM