Branford resident and current Board of Education Chair Frank Carrano is inviting the public to attend an organizational meeting of the Community Coalition for Responsible Gun Control to be held at the Community House on Monday January 14 at 7 p.m. Carrano stated that the committee is independent of the BOE and also does not have town affiliation. What it does have is political ambition. State Representative Lonnie Reed as well as State Senator Edward Meyer plan on attending stated Carrano.
Immediately following the tragedy at Sandy Hook School in Newtown, Carrano said he took to his personal Facebook page and expressed concern over gun control. “People were really responsive,” he said. “I felt compelled to do some follow-up,” he added and the Community Coalition for Responsible Gun Control was born.
So far there are no committee members. “Monday is really step one,” he said. Carrano said he hopes some attendees will become committee members. It’s really growing in real-time, he explained.
This week was the opening of the 2013 legislation session, explained Carrano, and he thinks it’s the perfect time for Branford to contribute to the conversation on responsible gun control and he hopes this committee can be the platform. “Anything that we can do here to add to the conversation… this would be the right time,” he said.
Carrano said the focus at the start is “really about how to make the process work so that everyone’s interests are covered.” Carrano said there are no sides of the issue – for or against guns – but he hopes all groups can work together.
Carrano said his goal for the committee is to see the discussion expand into safety for the community including the youth as well as the elderly who live alone. “I am hoping this goes beyond gun control he stated.”
Once again, talk to me about the California shooting the other day. The shooter comes in with a shotgun and is able to get off one shot before he is subdued, by unarmed teachers. In Newtown, the shooter is armed with a rapid fire weapon, with extended magazine. Shoots his way into the school, shoots each six year old MULTIPLE times. You are equating these two incidents as equal. If you don't know how to drive a sixteen wheeler, and you take it into a crowded parking lot, you do more damage than if you are driving a VW. Right? Let's do the police escorts and the glass as you request, with the taxes placed on the AR-15 and extended magazines. Let's place a tax on violent video games, which appears in the game stations of the killers in Newtown, Aurora and Columbine. You can have them, but you have to pay for them. Gun owners who have legally purchased their weapons should be outraged at the shooters who have used these assault rifles and extended magazines to do more damage than a knife, or sword, or shotgun. I'm not feeling your outrage. I'm fine with the bearer of arms, the hunter, the target shooter. Why aren't you guys saying we have to get these weapons out of the hands of evil and/or mentally ill people. I don't understand your rationale.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-qXR42D8_E
To all the people who are on the fence and have not formed a opinion on how to prevent further tragedies. We need to do things that really work .So I encourage you to look at the facts and become informed .Don't go to any pro/anti web sites and look for info info that is not bias .If you want actual crime /firearm stats go to the FBI web site .If someone tells you a area in the country or world has high/low violent crime first check if is in fact true and then check on why . In other words educate yourselves and make a informed decision . It is a emotional topic and it is hard not to let emotions cloud our judgement . Don't let some politician who will tell you what ever you want to hear to get your vote sway your judgement . If you are going to take the time to have and voice a opinion ,take the time to have all the facts from both sides not just the ones that some pick and choose or distort . Remember who the good guys and bad guys really are . Lets not let our politicians get away with passing some do nothing feel good laws that don't keep our kids any safer for the sake of a photo opp. Get your facts from reliable sources .
I do feel encouraged by the meeting. A number of people made the point that the focal point of the discussion should be violence and how to limit it. Mental heath issues, cultural issues, video games and firearms are all part of the mix. The key seems to be straightforward honesty; no cliches, no pandering. If we do that we might get somewhere.
Another thing to keep in mind is that most of these atrocities occur in a "gun-free zone", because these monsters are cowards and go after soft targets to commit their crimes for maximum effect. If they fear that they would be stopped or captured, maybe they would reject schools as easy targets of opportunity and do us all a favor and just end themselves. I'll use a favorite line of the gun grabbers; "If it saves just one child's life, isn't it worth it?"