WAGC mention: Packing Heat by Leena Pendharkar

dZ · January 1, 2001, 06:01 PM

http://societypolitics.chickclick.co...les/14351.html
Packing Heat

by Leena Pendharkar

On March 29, 1994, Mary
Leigh Blek's life was
forever changed.

That day, a New York
police detective called her
Southern California home
to tell her the horrible
news: her 21-year-old son,
Matthew, had been shot
and killed by three
15-year-old kids as they
attempted to rob him.

Blek said her son did not resist the robbers, but they shot him
anyway with a Saturday Night Special, a very small, cheap gun
that's easily concealable.

Though Blek was grief-stricken by
her tragedy, she turned her pain
into activism.

She is now the President of the
Million Mom March, a national
organization that fights for stricter
gun laws. In May, the group held
a 750,000-person rally in
Washington, D.C., to call for more
sensible gun control legislation.

The march also emphasized an important fact: that women
overwhelming support stricter gun control laws and are turning
their concern about gun violence into action— forcing Democrat
Al Gore and Republican George Bush to take notice.

"Many more women, especially suburban women, are vocalizing
their views about gun control," said Nancy Hwa of Handgun
Control, a gun control advocacy organization. "These women
represent a huge voting block, and both presidential candidates
know that."

The lowdown
Gun control has been a complicated social and political issue
because the Constitution guarantees every American the right to
bear arms.

But the problem is that there is currently no national system for
tracking the sale and use of guns.

Eighty-nine percent of American women believe that guns
should be registered, compared to 82 percent of men, according
to the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, an
independent research institute.

Why do women care?
Women have taken a stand on this issue for a number of
reasons, but most importantly because guns affect their kids.

Although school violence on the
whole has declined in recent
years, the rate of firearm deaths
to children 14 and under is 12
times greater in the U.S. than the
average of 25 other high-income
countries.

And between 1985 and 1994,
the risk of dying from a firearm
injury has more than doubled for
teenagers 15 to 19 years of age,
according to the Centers for
Disease Control.

"Women have always been nurturers—they are inclusive and
want to protect their families," Blek said.

As a result, 40 Million Mom March chapters have popped up
across the country.

Some women like guns
But despite these trends, organizations like the National Rifle
Association (NRA) and Women Against Gun Control say that
every American should be able to own a gun without strict
regulatory standards.

Trish Gregory, a spokesperson for the NRA and Janalee Tobias,
president and founder of Women Against Gun Control said
women should be able to own guns for safety reasons.

"A lot more women have recently
called to join the NRA—they feel like
they are losing their right to self
defense. Many women live in places
where they need protection," Gregory
said.

Tobias agreed.

"Women should oppose gun control
because they are the ones who are
often victims of violent crime," she
said. "The single greatest way for a
woman to protect herself is with a
gun."

Currently, women use guns to protect
themselves from rape 200,000 times
per year, and 76 percent of violent
crime does not involve firearms,
according the NRA.

Plus, Gregory pointed out that many
gun control laws are already on the
books.

She said that in the Columbine shooting, more than 20 gun laws
were violated by the killers.

But she agreed that women are more sensitive to safety issues
when it comes to gun control—and should be.

"Many women who got involved in the Million Mom March have
the same feelings as the NRA—no one does more to prevent
accidents and promote safe gun use than the NRA," she said.

Gregory said that ultimately, education, not legislation, is what
will prevent accidents.

And Tobias said she is opposed to a gun registry because it
ultimately hurts law-abiding citizens.

"Criminals are not going to register a gun, so why should we
punish people who follow the rules with a fee? Ultimately,
registration will lead to confiscation," Tobias said.

What do Al and George say?
Despite their arguments, gun violence is a serious national
problem.

And Gore and Bush have very different ways of tackling it.

Bush wants to focus more on
enforcing gun law enforcement
programs than controlling gun
ownership.

Gore wants to require photos for
registration and to limit gun purchases to one per month. He
would veto legislation that shields gun manufacturers from
lawsuits.

But until something is done, some women, especially Blek, won't
stop fighting.

Though the three teenagers who killed her son are behind bars,
she will continue to fight this battle, she said, so she can help
save someone else's child.

Leena Pendharkar is a graduate student in journalism at the
University of California at Berkeley.

johnr · January 2, 2001, 07:20 AM

For a closer look at Women Against Gun Control, look here:

http://www.wagc.com

It's a nice little board, and men are welcome, too!

iso1 · January 2, 2001, 07:29 AM

I read the article, and I'm really starting to get ticked off about some people....

Why don't they ever tell the truth. They always have to spin or edited the truth. But then it's a lie.

Something I've often wondered about Mary Blek's son....

What was a 20 year old "kid" doing walking around New York City in the middle of the night looking for? Trouble, most likely. They say he didn't resist....If it's true, then Mrs. Blek should quit dancing in her son's blood, becuase the old saying "Give them what they want and they'll go away" was proven wrong and Matt was the unfortunate test victim.

I've tried to write to her and ask her simple, straight forward, non-accusatory questions. She (indeed, everyone at HCI and MMM) has refused to reply. And yet, hours after 7 people are murdered, she pushes for more controls.

HankB · January 2, 2001, 09:02 AM

Basically, an even-handed treatment . . . but what annoys me is that once again, there's mention of the "750,000 person rally" that was held in Washington. Best estimates are that the actual crowd was about one-tenth that size.

But a lie, repeated often enough, becomes regarded as the truth. We need to challenge the anti's lies every time they're used.

Mike in VA · January 2, 2001, 09:29 AM

Yeah, Hank, I was there (with SAS). I've lived in the DC area most of my life, I've seen all kinds of demonstrations come and go, and I can assure you that there was, at best, 70-80K people there. They really are lying idiots. M2

dZ · January 2, 2001, 11:16 AM

the only way they can reconcile the 750,000 attendance is if the call it an aggregate number from all the MMM events that day.

Considering the main event was max 70,000 people, i doubt if the whole countrys MMM attendance was 200,000

The washington post did an article on all the rallies on the mall and they claimed the MMM was the most attended rally there ever!

Have you seen the black & white movies from the "i had a dream" ML King rally?

They covered the mall from the Lincoln Memorial to past the GW Monument

On the freerepublic is a set of photos comparing the area of the MMM to the area covered by the promise keepers

The US park service stopped providing official headcounts after the Million man march. Now the papers report the headcount reported by the organizers.

Gee, i had an RKBA rally last week on the mall & 500,000 people attended.

dZ

January 1, 2001, 06:01 PM	#1
dZ Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 1999 Location: the Fetid Swamp, DC Posts: 7,565	http://societypolitics.chickclick.co...les/14351.html Packing Heat by Leena Pendharkar On March 29, 1994, Mary Leigh Blek's life was forever changed. That day, a New York police detective called her Southern California home to tell her the horrible news: her 21-year-old son, Matthew, had been shot and killed by three 15-year-old kids as they attempted to rob him. Blek said her son did not resist the robbers, but they shot him anyway with a Saturday Night Special, a very small, cheap gun that's easily concealable. Though Blek was grief-stricken by her tragedy, she turned her pain into activism. She is now the President of the Million Mom March, a national organization that fights for stricter gun laws. In May, the group held a 750,000-person rally in Washington, D.C., to call for more sensible gun control legislation. The march also emphasized an important fact: that women overwhelming support stricter gun control laws and are turning their concern about gun violence into action— forcing Democrat Al Gore and Republican George Bush to take notice. "Many more women, especially suburban women, are vocalizing their views about gun control," said Nancy Hwa of Handgun Control, a gun control advocacy organization. "These women represent a huge voting block, and both presidential candidates know that." The lowdown Gun control has been a complicated social and political issue because the Constitution guarantees every American the right to bear arms. But the problem is that there is currently no national system for tracking the sale and use of guns. Eighty-nine percent of American women believe that guns should be registered, compared to 82 percent of men, according to the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, an independent research institute. Why do women care? Women have taken a stand on this issue for a number of reasons, but most importantly because guns affect their kids. Although school violence on the whole has declined in recent years, the rate of firearm deaths to children 14 and under is 12 times greater in the U.S. than the average of 25 other high-income countries. And between 1985 and 1994, the risk of dying from a firearm injury has more than doubled for teenagers 15 to 19 years of age, according to the Centers for Disease Control. "Women have always been nurturers—they are inclusive and want to protect their families," Blek said. As a result, 40 Million Mom March chapters have popped up across the country. Some women like guns But despite these trends, organizations like the National Rifle Association (NRA) and Women Against Gun Control say that every American should be able to own a gun without strict regulatory standards. Trish Gregory, a spokesperson for the NRA and Janalee Tobias, president and founder of Women Against Gun Control said women should be able to own guns for safety reasons. "A lot more women have recently called to join the NRA—they feel like they are losing their right to self defense. Many women live in places where they need protection," Gregory said. Tobias agreed. "Women should oppose gun control because they are the ones who are often victims of violent crime," she said. "The single greatest way for a woman to protect herself is with a gun." Currently, women use guns to protect themselves from rape 200,000 times per year, and 76 percent of violent crime does not involve firearms, according the NRA. Plus, Gregory pointed out that many gun control laws are already on the books. She said that in the Columbine shooting, more than 20 gun laws were violated by the killers. But she agreed that women are more sensitive to safety issues when it comes to gun control—and should be. "Many women who got involved in the Million Mom March have the same feelings as the NRA—no one does more to prevent accidents and promote safe gun use than the NRA," she said. Gregory said that ultimately, education, not legislation, is what will prevent accidents. And Tobias said she is opposed to a gun registry because it ultimately hurts law-abiding citizens. "Criminals are not going to register a gun, so why should we punish people who follow the rules with a fee? Ultimately, registration will lead to confiscation," Tobias said. What do Al and George say? Despite their arguments, gun violence is a serious national problem. And Gore and Bush have very different ways of tackling it. Bush wants to focus more on enforcing gun law enforcement programs than controlling gun ownership. Gore wants to require photos for registration and to limit gun purchases to one per month. He would veto legislation that shields gun manufacturers from lawsuits. But until something is done, some women, especially Blek, won't stop fighting. Though the three teenagers who killed her son are behind bars, she will continue to fight this battle, she said, so she can help save someone else's child. Leena Pendharkar is a graduate student in journalism at the University of California at Berkeley.

January 2, 2001, 07:20 AM	#2
johnr Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2000 Posts: 698	For a closer look at Women Against Gun Control, look here: http://www.wagc.com It's a nice little board, and men are welcome, too!

January 2, 2001, 07:29 AM	#3
iso1 Senior Member Join Date: November 2, 2000 Location: Reno, Nevada Posts: 581	I read the article, and I'm really starting to get ticked off about some people.... Why don't they ever tell the truth. They always have to spin or edited the truth. But then it's a lie. Something I've often wondered about Mary Blek's son.... What was a 20 year old "kid" doing walking around New York City in the middle of the night looking for? Trouble, most likely. They say he didn't resist....If it's true, then Mrs. Blek should quit dancing in her son's blood, becuase the old saying "Give them what they want and they'll go away" was proven wrong and Matt was the unfortunate test victim. I've tried to write to her and ask her simple, straight forward, non-accusatory questions. She (indeed, everyone at HCI and MMM) has refused to reply. And yet, hours after 7 people are murdered, she pushes for more controls.

January 2, 2001, 09:02 AM	#4
HankB Senior Member Join Date: March 30, 2000 Location: Central Texas, outside of Austin Posts: 1,670	Basically, an even-handed treatment . . . but what annoys me is that once again, there's mention of the "750,000 person rally" that was held in Washington. Best estimates are that the actual crowd was about one-tenth that size. But a lie, repeated often enough, becomes regarded as the truth. We need to challenge the anti's lies every time they're used.

January 2, 2001, 09:29 AM	#5
Mike in VA Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 1998 Location: Santa FE, NM Posts: 2,165	Yeah, Hank, I was there (with SAS). I've lived in the DC area most of my life, I've seen all kinds of demonstrations come and go, and I can assure you that there was, at best, 70-80K people there. They really are lying idiots. M2

January 2, 2001, 11:16 AM	#6
dZ Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 1999 Location: the Fetid Swamp, DC Posts: 7,565	the only way they can reconcile the 750,000 attendance is if the call it an aggregate number from all the MMM events that day. Considering the main event was max 70,000 people, i doubt if the whole countrys MMM attendance was 200,000 The washington post did an article on all the rallies on the mall and they claimed the MMM was the most attended rally there ever! Have you seen the black & white movies from the "i had a dream" ML King rally? They covered the mall from the Lincoln Memorial to past the GW Monument On the freerepublic is a set of photos comparing the area of the MMM to the area covered by the promise keepers The US park service stopped providing official headcounts after the Million man march. Now the papers report the headcount reported by the organizers. Gee, i had an RKBA rally last week on the mall & 500,000 people attended. dZ