Gun violence prevention forum Saturday

LYNN – As national legislatures continue to debate what, if anything, to do more than two months after a mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school, U.S. Rep. John Tierney and Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett are hosting a public forum on gun-violence prevention Saturday in Lynn.The forum will feature a panel of local lawmakers, public safety officers, gun-safety advocates and North Shore residents affected by gun violence, including Lynnette Alameddine, a Saugus resident whose son was one of 32 people killed in a 2007 mass shooting at Virginia Tech.Tierney, a Democrat from Salem, said he is hoping to foster an open discussion among 6th District residents about what they think should be done to reduce gun violence in their communities.”It’s not about taking people’s guns totally away,” he said. “It’s what reasonable measures people want to take to make our schools and communities safer.”The forum comes at a time when Congress is considering several gun-safety reform measures. The White House is pushing universal background checks for gun buyers and a ban on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, all legislation Tierney said he supports. The National Rifle Association and some Republicans have opposed those measures, arguing it won’t help stop mass shootings and everyday gun violence in America.But Saturday isn’t aimed at pushing ideology, Tierney said. He said he believes there are common-sense safety precautions that both gun-control and gun-rights advocates can agree on to prevent violence in communities.”I want to steer it to a discussion where everybody gets to state their view in a very civil way, and then we can get the benefit of all of that,” he said.Tierney said he’ll take views expressed Saturday back with him to Washington, D.C., where his office already fields calls from constituents requesting what he called “a wide range” of gun-safety measures.As for the likelihood of any gun-safety measure getting passed in Congress, Tierney said there’s “a high probability” Congress will pass legislation limiting the size of magazines and magazine clips; “a reasonable probability” Congress will reform background checks; and “some probability” an assault-weapons ban will be re-instated, a suggestion that has become one of the most controversial.Despite often contentious arguments about gun control permeating the nation, Tierney said he believes everyone can come to a compromise.”We clearly think there’s a solution to all of this,” he said.If you go: The gun-violence-prevention forum will be held noon Saturday at Lynn Classical High School’s auditorium, 235 O’Callaghan Way in Lynn. All 6th District residents are welcome to attend.
Amber Parcher can be reached at [email protected].