cuchulainn
April 6, 2003, 12:58 PM
from the GoMemphis site
http://www.gomemphis.com/mca/local_news/article/0,1426,MCA_437_1867699,00.htmlWe're done with guns, 15 decide
By Maria Bibbs
bibbs@gomemphis.com
April 6, 2003
As her 9-year-old son watched anxiously, Thelma Tate got rid of the concealed threat in her home Saturday morning.
She traded her P-380 handgun for Libertyland tickets at the Tickets for Guns exchange at the National Civil Rights Museum.
"It's because my son is older now," Tate said.
"He could get through the lock even though it was in a safe. This is for his safety as well as for his playmates'."
City Council member Myron Lowery organized the event in conjunction with a seminar, "Done with Guns: A Seminar to End Gun Violence."
His aim was to educate the public on combating gun violence while offering an incentive to get firearms out of the home.
After police determined that the guns were unloaded, the owners received five pairs of tickets from seven entertainment choices: the Memphis Grizzlies, Libertyland, the Memphis Redbirds, the Memphis Zoo, Malco Theatres, the National Civil Rights Museum, Putt Putt Golf, and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. Some ticket packages were worth more than $250.
Over the course of six hours, police collected 15 firearms, including .357 magnums, rifles, sawed-off shotguns and 25 caliber pistols.
Specialists from the firearms training unit checked the guns' serial numbers. After police verify that the guns were not involved in a crime, the weapons will be fed to a scrap yard shredder.
At the "Done with Guns" seminar, about 100 students and civic group volunteers took note of several strategies to put an end to the violent crime prevalent among American youth.
"Every day, 10 young people are killed by handguns," said Michael Beard of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
"People buy them to protect themselves, but instruments of death do not provide safety and security."
Former gang member Terrell Johnson, 31, delivered a chilling account of how gun violence has affected his life.
"I buried 15 people in October of the year 2000," he said. "It was all gun-related."
Younger listeners were particularly affected by Johnson's story about the grim reality of gangs and prison.
"I liked the way he spoke without holding anything back," said Hamilton High School sophomore Alexandria Hamilton, 15. "He spoke the truth about how everything about a gun is real."
Irvy Whitaker, 21, said the forum gave him an awareness of the potential dangers of weapon accessibility.
"I learned why carrying a gun is not good for you," said Whitaker. "I'd always heard it, but I never really understood it."
Lowery said he was pleased that members of the community came to the seminar, saying it could be an important step in saving lives.
This is the third gun exchange organized by Lowery. Police collected 1,600 guns at 1994's Food for Guns event. Lowery followed up with the Gifts for Guns exchange in 1999, where 119 weapons were turned in.
Even though the turnout for Tickets for Guns was lower than it had been in the past exchange programs, Lowery said he was pleased.
"I'm not bound by numbers," he said. "That's 15 guns we got off the street."
- Maria Bibbs: 529-5896
Copyright 2003 - The Commercial Appeal
http://www.gomemphis.com/mca/local_news/article/0,1426,MCA_437_1867699,00.htmlWe're done with guns, 15 decide
By Maria Bibbs
bibbs@gomemphis.com
April 6, 2003
As her 9-year-old son watched anxiously, Thelma Tate got rid of the concealed threat in her home Saturday morning.
She traded her P-380 handgun for Libertyland tickets at the Tickets for Guns exchange at the National Civil Rights Museum.
"It's because my son is older now," Tate said.
"He could get through the lock even though it was in a safe. This is for his safety as well as for his playmates'."
City Council member Myron Lowery organized the event in conjunction with a seminar, "Done with Guns: A Seminar to End Gun Violence."
His aim was to educate the public on combating gun violence while offering an incentive to get firearms out of the home.
After police determined that the guns were unloaded, the owners received five pairs of tickets from seven entertainment choices: the Memphis Grizzlies, Libertyland, the Memphis Redbirds, the Memphis Zoo, Malco Theatres, the National Civil Rights Museum, Putt Putt Golf, and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. Some ticket packages were worth more than $250.
Over the course of six hours, police collected 15 firearms, including .357 magnums, rifles, sawed-off shotguns and 25 caliber pistols.
Specialists from the firearms training unit checked the guns' serial numbers. After police verify that the guns were not involved in a crime, the weapons will be fed to a scrap yard shredder.
At the "Done with Guns" seminar, about 100 students and civic group volunteers took note of several strategies to put an end to the violent crime prevalent among American youth.
"Every day, 10 young people are killed by handguns," said Michael Beard of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
"People buy them to protect themselves, but instruments of death do not provide safety and security."
Former gang member Terrell Johnson, 31, delivered a chilling account of how gun violence has affected his life.
"I buried 15 people in October of the year 2000," he said. "It was all gun-related."
Younger listeners were particularly affected by Johnson's story about the grim reality of gangs and prison.
"I liked the way he spoke without holding anything back," said Hamilton High School sophomore Alexandria Hamilton, 15. "He spoke the truth about how everything about a gun is real."
Irvy Whitaker, 21, said the forum gave him an awareness of the potential dangers of weapon accessibility.
"I learned why carrying a gun is not good for you," said Whitaker. "I'd always heard it, but I never really understood it."
Lowery said he was pleased that members of the community came to the seminar, saying it could be an important step in saving lives.
This is the third gun exchange organized by Lowery. Police collected 1,600 guns at 1994's Food for Guns event. Lowery followed up with the Gifts for Guns exchange in 1999, where 119 weapons were turned in.
Even though the turnout for Tickets for Guns was lower than it had been in the past exchange programs, Lowery said he was pleased.
"I'm not bound by numbers," he said. "That's 15 guns we got off the street."
- Maria Bibbs: 529-5896
Copyright 2003 - The Commercial Appeal