Gun Violence Survivors And Activists Answer Boston Mayor Menino's Call: 'WeMust Rid Our Streets Of Illegal Guns'

17 May 2006

News Advisory:

WHAT: A press conference to kick off local and national grassroots campaigns to raise awareness of the human suffering caused by the illegal gun business

Advocates to announce new M.A.T.H. Coalition to stop illegal gun traffic and take part in coast-to-coast events to launch national Illegal Guns Campaign

WHERE: The Garden of Peace, 100 Cambridge Street, Boston

WHEN: 11 AM, Wednesday, May 17

WHO:

-- Joe Vince, former ATF Chief, Crime Gun Analysis Branch and president, Crime Gun Solutions

-- Pastor Bruce Wall, Global Ministries Christian Church

-- Cathie Whittenburg, ED Maine Citizens Against Handgun Violence

-- Dr.Selwyn Rogers, Director of Surgery Center for Public Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Invited guests include: Honorable Mayor Thomas Menino; Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole, Professor David Hemenway, Harvard School of Public Health, and others

DETAILS: Illegal guns account for much of the violence spilling onto American streets in cities across the country. Boston is no exception, witnessing a ten-year high in homicides. Following Mayor Menino's lead, local survivors, activists, faith leaders, and public health and safety officials will announce the formation of a statewide coalition to focus on the problem of illegal guns and work to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and youth.

The new M.A.T.H. (Massachusetts Against Trafficking Handguns) Coalition will seek to answer the question, "Where did the gun come from?" By tracking crime guns to their source, we can uncover how handguns flow from the legal to the illegal market. Only then can we begin to disrupt the illegal handgun business and help restore peace to our communities.

Wednesday's event is in conjunction with press conferences and activities planned throughout the country, from New York to California, to launch a national grassroots campaign to focus attention on the menacing business of illegal guns. The Massachusetts Million Mom March Chapters, an affiliate of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and the New England Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, an affiliate of States United to Prevent Gun Violence, will work together in the coming months and years to dismantle the illegal handgun trade.

http://www.usnewswire.com/

Source: usnewswire

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