The issues surrounding firearms were the focus of a two-day conference held in the Campus Center ballroom. “Targeting the Truth: About Gun Violence & Gun Control” looked at these issues from several vantage points.
“I think everyone can agree what we’re looking for is a safer society,” said Dr. Joyce Lee Malcolm, the Patrick Henry Professor of Constitutional Law and the Second Amendment at George Mason University School of Law. The remark could have served as the overarching theme of the conference, which brought together academics, law enforcement officials, politicians, activists and medical professionals.
“The focus of the conference is… to bring a host of speakers, each being an authority in their own right, to come and shed light on these topics so the debate that’s going on can be made clearer,” said Dr. Carolyn Petrosino, professor of criminal justice and the chair of the conference’s organizing committee.
Day one of the conference was devoted to the manifestation of gun violence. President Dana Mohler-Faria delivered welcoming remarks, telling those gathered, that gun violence and gun control are important issues. He thanked Dr. Petrosino and all those involved in planning the conference: “You’ve really opened up this dialogue which I know will be important and valuable,” the president said.
The conference’s second day examined perspectives on gun control. The lectures dealt in a lot of statistics, but also brought the topic home with the words of Ruth Rollins and Kim Orom, of Operation LIPSTICK, both of whom have lost a child to gun violence.
The conference was more than a year in the making. In addition to Dr. Petrosino, the organizing committee included Dr. Robert Grantham and Moira O’Brien.
Learn more about the conference and the presenters here. (Story and photos by John Winters, University News)
