In the years leading up to world war ii. Fortyeight hours of nonfiction authors and books every weekend. Television for serious readers. Now here is a look at gun violence in america. Good evening and welcome to the public library. I am it was the last of the author talks for the season. I hope you will take some time and look around and see our beautiful renovated library. Before we begin i do have a few housekeeping things to mention. First, i would like everyone to pre to please silence yourself on. And lastly, although we do not allow food or drink if you like to continue your conversation after our event the cafe is offering a 10 discount on food and non alcoholic beverages tonight. [applause]. Thank you all for being here for this essential sadly essential event i will be very brief there is a lot to come tonight. I will begin partially if thats okay its just how i tend to do especially with the subject like all of you im sure we all detest violence. And im sure im not alone when i say i know violence fairly intimately. I have a violent youth. A lot of violence with the victim of a lot of it. And i victimized those. It was all ugly violence. Always is. It shaped me though. And how i looked at the world. I have a friend from massachusetts i come from the mill towns north. Im going to be just the beginning of a palm he is from laurel this moment came in his life just recently. Its called ballistics. Im just get a read in a read attend of this poem. That the pop pop of a semi automatic wrecks the air before i can get off the couch. Before my wife yanks the baby daughter from the new fallen flash of pomegranate. And runs inside before their car that this winter the ten to 15 seconds left to a body when the hearts are instantly destroyed. Whats left is our sense 5 feet and then. I know there are people in this room who had lost loved ones to gun violence. I have not lost that a loved one ive taken a loaded gun. I have lost friends. And im convinced it whatever moments happen. 30,000 plus die of god gun violence here. Nevermind the madness of the Mass Shootings we are seen. The emotions im sure you had two. Begins with grief and fear, terror, and then outrage and rage and in this horrible then this horrible numbing kind of despair i begin to feel helpless and powerless and i cannot tell you how many young people especially those i teach who work in malls and stores in Public Schools and they have the shooter drills as part of their lives now. Yet despair will change nothing. And its an awful a motion to lift her as you all know. I will read you a brief passage. The very act of writing a seems to begin with that someone cares to hear what you have to say. It assumes that people share and can be reached that people can be touched and even in some cases changed. So many of the things in our world tend to lead us into despair it seems to me that the final symptom of despair is silence. And the story telling and poetry are some of the sustaining arts they are the affirming arts. A writer may have a certain pessimism in his or her outlet but the very act of being a writer seems to me to be an optimistic act. This book has been an antidote to my own despair. And it got me to get up and start thinking more about not just wowing in fear and outrage in rage and grief they have a wonderful thing to say about the power of poetry one of the many things i love about this book they are the songs in the street and the one that can go back to the street and will get read and read again. The quality of life by which we scrutinize our lives has a direct bearing upon the products that we live. It is within this light that we had formed those ideas this is poetry as illumination. For it is through poetry that we give name to those ideas which are until the poem nameless and formless. About to be birthed but already felt poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality in which we predicate our hopes and dreams towards survival and change. And then into idea and then into more tangible action. One of my favorite quotes is this. Art is transferring feelings from one heart to another. The only thing that can transfer it from any heart is truth. And once it makes the journey inside us as we know it changes minds it opens hearts it changes our very lives. Thank you. Peace on earth. Good evening. I am one of the editors. Thank you so much for being here tonight. And for getting us started in such a wonderful way. I want to think also my co editors has been an honor to work with you on this project into all of the poets and activists who are here tonight. Thank you for your ongoing work. Thank you all for being here tonight and think you for publishing this book. You are the reason we are able to do this. Thank you so much. [applause]. This book is actually the first part of the threepart project. The second part is supplemental materials. And videos. On our website that is hosted you can find it by googling and the the book. I hope you will take a look there the third part of the project is a National Series of events like this one it has already hosted one. We will be doing at least one event in every state in dc over the next few months or so. Let them know about the events. We are going to be going three blocks tonight. And then some readings and so on. We will have the opportunity for some questions if any of you in the audience would like to ask any. It is my pleasure first to introduce to you. Those who have failed. Imagine the angels of bread. And the republic of a poetry. They contributed the title poem as well. What i understand he will read it tonight. The response is from david and francine wheeler. And they could not be here this evening. Megan perla tele could also not be here tonight. She is the author of a new language of falling out of love. Her poem will be written by the coeditor. She teaches at the university of idaho. The response is from my wife Abby Clements who was a secondgrade teacher at sandy hook at the day of the shootings. She now teaches at another school. And other organizations on gun violence prevention. I will then read my poem in the response was written by pope ken murray. Which popped up in the wake of the sandy hook shootings. I dont think heather has shown up yet. Thank you brian. I am likewise very honored to be here and to be part of this anthology and i want to especially thank the editors this is enormously hard work. An important work. I will read the title poem to the anthology this is a poem that was based on a visit the National Children say event. Within the reach. At the Newtown Congregational Church on june the eighth 2013. The first stanza refers to two different cities first albania which is a site of the bell of peace i was born of bullets. The other city in the first stanza is roberto italy. Or the bell of the pollen. And it refers to newtown itself. The title of the poem is heal the cracks in the belled of the world. Twenty students and six educators lost their lives to gunmen at Sandy Hook Elementary School december 14 now they speak with their tongues abroad. They open listen to the bells worlds away. Listen to the bell in the ruins of a city where children gather copper shells like beach last and it was a born in the foundry says now i think of a world where they melt into bells. Listen to the bell in a city where cannons from the army of the great were sank into molten metal bubbling like a bat out of chocolate. They formed. I was born a cannon but now i think of a world where they built into bells. Listen to the bells in a town where the flagpole on main street a rooster weathervane keeping watch atop the meetinghouse. Gathering to sing in times of great silence. Here the bells rock the heads of bronze as if to say melt the bullets into bells. Here the bells raise their heavy heads as if to say the cantons into bells. Here the bells think of a world where weapons crumbled deep in the world and no one remembers where they were buried. Now they pass the word at midnight in the ancient language. From island to island. And now they chime heal the cracks in the bell. Listening to the bell. In the bell of the world. [applause]. A response from david and francine miller. This poem was red at several gatherings. The irony of the location of the loss. Newtown the home of the industrys nearby water shifting their production to shell casings after the war effort. New haven. Home of eli whitney who advanced the mass production more than anyone. To move through the landscape day after day carrying the weight of our murdered boy in the hole in our hearts just the shape and size on the permanent texture of our lives. It is however a clips and dimensioned. By the support and assistance. The community where we work to support and teach others. His classmates and his teachers working to heal wherever we can. Helping his healing. So we say and we listen for the bells. When a child here as gunshots. By megan patel. When a child hears gunshots she will say mom is beating the pots and pans. She will say it sounds like home. Lets keep it this way. Our children are misinterpreting the sound of dinas accrued percussion. When they kneel at their beds and ask that it where he was when their best friend stopped being a life he will say i was at the drivethrough i was so hungry i thought the gunshots were my stomach begging for food. He will say i know nothing until strangers tell me about it first. I could have Bullet Wounds in my hands and i would know nothing about what hurts. And doesnt hurt. What a god making the world out of variations of madness refusing to hold the space in the hands and saying you are mine. It is not ours to youngblood the unfinished drawings the last blurry thoughts before a world goes back. When god is busy wiping grease from his mouth we can stand and align with the dead in our backpacks. He wont notice when we give the whole damn world back. 154 shots they heard them all i thought they were folding chairs if they knew how can they believe we shared a water bottle little arms poking out to take it. We waited we have to believe i opened the door they scattered a few in my outstretched arms. We ran, we were lucky. Surviving is a gift in a burden what do you do with that. For me as soon as i could i started to fight. The guns out of the hands of the favorite people. I fight against Arming Teachers in a fight to keep guns out of College Dorms and classrooms and lockdowns and actor shooter drills. They are not an answer. Whether or not it will make it home from school. One mom told me the everyday after school a celebration for making it home. [applause]. 22. Ive rusted out beatle and carried a 22 pistol runs to the bank to drop off nightly deposits. And where i worked and saw him about 20 times more than i wanted to with the midnight shows. He lived in a rat trap roach infested learning over shack a few streets over from the house where in 2000 for the local tv reporter was murdered in her bed. Her face beaten beyond recognition. On my first night as assistant manager as a restaurant in dallas. A fight broke out. Between a pimp in a private investigator who may have also been a pimp. A group of boys decided to jump in and not the whole thing over on the floor. The pimp came up pointing a 22 automatic directly at the closest object which just happened to be my four head. He didnt shoot. He just waved his gun around until everyone cowered under their tables. And then calmly walked out the front door and down the street. My best friend in sixth or seventh grade moved from arkansas. He raised hamsters and hermit crabs and i struck him out for the last out of the Little League championship. We went out to his fathers farm with his 22 rifle. Back in new mexico he had have some Health Problems in his mother have shot herself in the head. A few years ago a dead body was found buried on his father property. Rons son ended up shooting himself in the had as well. He was 22. On december 14, 20122 pistols a bush master and hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a shotgun in the car. Rather than turn right towards my wifes classroom where she pulled two kids into her room from the hallway he turned to the left. And murdered 2012 20 children and six adults. Both of whom went into the hallway to stop the gunman and shot to other teachers two other teachers who survived. After that, a lot of other things happened. But it doesnt really matter what. [applause]. Did it did not matter to the National Rifle association the republican members of congress, Donald Trump Republican governors and state legislators that my neighbor killed his mother in her bed and then drove to sandy hook elementary. With highcapacity magazines or that a hundred thousand americans are killed or injured by guns in our towns and cities across the nation every single year. Or that there are nearly 300 Mass Shootings incidents nationally. It matter to us we are a group of new town connecticut neighbors. The grassroots group. Advocating for cultural and legislative change. It mattered to 90 of americans who support expanded background checks families and victims and survivors that are directly impacted by gun violence because it Still Matters to us we will work to hold all state and federal elected representatives accountable for standing with the nra instead of taking action to keep all of us safe from gun violence. Despite the rhetoric we know firsthand that guns kill and they dont make us safe. [applause]. My name is dean rader. And one of the editors of the book thank you all for coming i want to echo brian in thinking michael editors brian and alexandra and everybody a beacon and all of the contributors and activist this has been an important and sobering project to work on all he i want to say before you introduce the video that you will see and gel is that there is a history in america of art doing at the kind of cultural work that opeds end journalism and essays do not do. That art can create this kind of emotional currency that works on a different level everything from Thomas Paines common sense. To photographs by dorothy lane. They can educate our emotions and sustain our intellect and get us to act and respond in ways that operate sometimes outside a policy but can generate policy. I dont know that this book will do all those things but my hope is that the voices of the poets and the respondents can create this larger conversation that perhaps can move those outside of policy to address this increasingly serious issue. For my part im going to introduce joe mcdonagh that well have a video response from Kim Parker Russell former of the Brady Campaign and currently with a womens march. Then i will read a poem. With response from clay lasch summers. I will read my poem in the anthology with the video response from joe clint. I would now like to reduce joe. The nea and foundation recipients. She teaches in the nsa program and directs 24 willow street. Where you live. And here all night. The forthcoming from alice james book. A gun violence survivor and activist who works with the womens march kim could not be with us but she sent video that i will play off of jills reading. He lives in long island. And we know that he would like to be here and you will get the emotional impact of his poem and the response will be each story of gun violence. It must be held with honor and respect. The piece of land that allows for respite. My poem well have a response from joe clint who could not make it this evening from brooklyn. A photographer and activist of it takes us. Please welcome joe mcdonagh. This is hard. Im really grateful for it. And im just cannot cry all the way through. I want to read your poem called afraid i work with some incarcerated children in the juvenile detention facility and when i First Published this poem i brought it to them and i said this is a poem about things im afraid of. One boy said he was afraid of anything. I said that is fantastic and i cant wait to read the poem about all the things youre not afraid of. He wrote a long poem of very specific things that he is not afraid of and i did not believe him. Afraid. Im not afraid of murderers apparently or walking alone at night what i am supposed to fear 40 american hoyt employed but quick ratty shadow in the streets doubting what is under my feet rachel said you are afraid of everything. And i flinch because shes right. Im not afraid of getting shot. The noise just makes me want to cry. Not a roof, a bridge, a plane but ice iceskating ladders, and he jolted precarious perch. I remember the shaped rock and nickname lucky. Gripped aluminum ladders ten bucks an hour. The cheerful song i sing under my breath keeping everybody safe. He is our lucky rack. Then i would sing over again. Thank you. Hi my name is kim russell. I now work as an advocate. I want to thank everybody who helped put this together. My response is to do one called afraid. Im a free member of my life before i became afraid im curious impulsive and still a little innocent. Theyve been gone now for almost 20 years. Afraid. That is not part of it at all. I remember the wine i drink and the conversation i have. And i think about columbine of all things. It was a wonderful evening filled with hope into the worst night of my life. I remember diving and no longer belong to me. I remember that. It have to be visible. I remember feeling that. The shock and confusion that i was alive. Thank you. This poem is called always and forever. Its from the collection that came out last year called night sky with eggs that wound. Always and forever my ocean bomb. Openness when you need me most he said as he slid the shoebox wrapped in duct tape beneath my head. His thumb still damp from the shutter between mothers thighs. Kept circling the mall about my brow. It blazed between the teeth or was he lighting a joint. , it doesnt matter. Tonight and wait the bath water runs. I open the shoebox dusted with seven winters in here sunken folds of yellow newspaper lies the colt 45. Silent and heavy as an amputated hand. I hold the gun and wonder if an injury would entry would in the night would make the whole wide as morning. If i look threat i would see the end of this sentence. Or maybe just a man kneeling at the boys bed his great overalls reaching of gasoline and cigarettes. The day well close without the page turning as he wraps his arms around the boys milk blue shoulders. The boy pretending to be asleep as his fathers clutch titans. The weight of the barrel aimed at the sky must tightened around a bullet to make its speech. I tell you this there is no language for night bullets my step brother shot me with a rifle when i was 13 years old. On the coldest of nights in january 1970. A cut and slice its way through my back leaving shrapnel that still leaves my body. The force ruined the kidney and shocked the nerves of my spine so that i could not walk for months. I resist the language of the telling of been shot. Really, this is the truth of it. This truth of gun violence in Domestic Violence first, he beat my mother and brother and then as i became the protector of my family he took to chasing me along the Connecticut River with his gun and his dog. He leaned in to rape me and i resisted with. Only available to the knowing of a child. He would take that gun and hang me from a mall night after night meddled below that chant and pinned i set with parents now who had have their child shot. I see the wild eyes with the terror and their children the seconds before they were shot. It is a terror so visceral that i must tell the truth. [applause]. Thank you. My poem is self self portrait. In a wrote this after the polls shooting in orlando and the shootings at the ame church in Charleston South Carolina and this came after what seemed like years of nonstop thinking about the confluence both metaphorical and literal of the history and causes of terrorism, gun violence racism, the links between christianity and violence in the ways in which all of these things are connected geographically and also by way of water. Self portrait in charleston orlando. The news this morning said their money had fallen to isis and that the president did not have a plan to push them back into the m bar province. I have a plan to walk down to the beach in silence perhaps where i will stand in water at the temperature of most corpses. And look out over the shapeless ocean its waves shifting from one color to the next the shade of an old bruise towards japan which i imagine i see a crossed the map of motion that muskoka country which mystical country which is almost completely rid itself of guns like the one the boy used to shoot nine people assembled to worship a man whose skin history tells us was the same colors as theirs. That mystical man who may have walked the streets of her money in those missing years between his youth and his custody. And who knows how many of the slain he may have raised in the streets or pulled out in the night into the long day light of the not yet lived. Earth back into the skin of suffering. Or how many of the man might have dipped into those mystical waters that eventually emptied into the gulf of oman and then into the arabian sea before their long walk of ways across time of history. And into charleston. And then retreating to work their way down at the eastern coast of florida and perhaps even inland to orlando. And then, dachau again. Around every country every boat everybody. Before arriving on the beaches of San Francisco on the far end of the other side of that mystical continent perhaps even where i am standing. The waters color like a bullet and i wonder if all lives are somehow loaded into the chamber of the rifle. A rifle. The long tunnel of darkness before birth rate. And even our destiny. All of it as close to the hammer as the width of these lines themselves an inheritance of something i am only now beginning to understand. Like in indirection that no one saw. With his hand on the trigger. Or the people ready to rise. For the last several years i had been traveling around the country for the people rescued. Im sorry we cant be here with you this evening. And to read what i wrote. I will meet admit that its easy to get hardened after working on a project such as mine for a number of years. All of the stories that ive heard from gun violence survivors of the family members and victims are tremendous a powerful each in their own way. If anything this is a good thing. The strength and resiliency of these people. People who are now proud to call my friends. For the life of me i cant understand where these men and women. To get out of bed in the morning and yet, the men and women in yet. Im not sure that it is loading correctly. Thank you. Thank you all so much for being here tonight im so honored to be part of this incredible gathering and to have been able to spend the last few years working with brian and dean on this project. In the introduction to the anthology mccann quotes while s. Steeives a line that i have returned to again and again that i think sums up the way that i imagine this poetry working and that line is that poetry should be the imagination oppressing back against the pressures of reality. And i think poems press back against what might seem to be horrifying inevitable in this country and i think that number of poets who were already concerned about this subject or anxious to write about this certainly seeks to the extremity of our colonel social crisis as well, of course, as the work of the incredible respondents many have dedicated themselves to gun violence and again for my editors and to beacon for bringing this product forward so beautifully my own poem is from my second book the wise and foolish builders of the Winchester Family and legacies of violence particularly connected to west expansion of the company and i spent weeks doing historic gun and papers as i worked on that bock and one of the many things they learned that amazed me is how hard they have to work during the civil war even. And shortly after during westward expansion to market its guns to convince people that they needed protection and that guns were essential. And Company Actually sent gun salespeople known as missionaries into the west. And much of the rhetoric about guns and masculinity and power and safety and the potential necessity of violence for selfprotection that carries on in our own era in nra rett began and studies violence guns dont expire so unlike many products selling more requires tireless advertising to convince peemg theyre under threat. This poem repeat takes much the language from founder of the company many the 1800s describing the rifles that i think much will will sound unfamiliar from our own time. Repeater where is the miller genius to grasp this terrible it been he wrote this gun that can be loaded an fired all week this gun that makes man the equal of a company each minute in ten of full brigade in 30 this daylight full of lead where is gene use to grasp it and terrible engine to sink in a river fire like it has never been wet. A resolute man on horseback can travel west for a month of sunday this is gun makes man always ready so he can not be captured no more weapon and aim more deft where is the military genius to grasp this terrible engine . To look it sometimings mispishes its uneven first trials to see like history it repeats itself and yes, sometimes stutters to fire the gun makes a man almost certain of safety against grizzly or engine unequaled loaded safe as a church. And yet where is the military genius to grasp this terrible engine . Loaded on sunday fire all week, this gun makes a man. In just a moment, iran nazario will be reading his response to that poem hes an activist in connecticut and founder of the pea center of connecticut which will be helping to organize and host an event similar to like this one in connecticut are. After that, well hear Rebecca Morgan frank reading her poem gunning for it. Shes the author of three collections of poems most recently sometimes were all living in a foreign country. Shes the jacob poet in residents at university and Founding Editor of the online magazine memorial. Brine is unable to be here from South Carolina so hell read his response to franks poem. Matthew could a little not be here tonight so ill be returning to read his poem, and the response to that poem is from Shannon Watts founder of moms demand action for gun sense in america who could not be here tonight. But amy long time activist and organizer is here from her home outside washington, d. C. To represent moms demand action which amy serves as nationalling organizing director for. Following that well have closing comments before our discussion from dr. Bill beg who was the er doctor on duty at Danbury Hospital where some victims of the sandy hook shooting were taken. Ron. Good evening everyone before i read my poem i would like to say this is an incredibly humbling experience for me i didnt know what to expect and i want to say thank you to all of your sharing your powerful stories. Ive before the piece that ive in connecticut a First Responder in hartford and britain, east hartford, and ive been to the scene of over 400 shootings in 13 years. Ive been witness to over 300 young people being murdered in different communities. Ive seen a lot. Ive responded to a lot most painful response was to the murder of my own brother. Ill read poem in his honor i never thought a gun made a man but i did little experience with guns. And i was never the victim of gun violence as a young man. The most dangerous weapon of all was my education. The series of lessons about human body and how to make it a weapon. Child abuse, physical abuse, and verbal abuse. All the ways that someone can use a body to impose their will on someone and that was my experience. I grew up believing that hurting people was power and respect. When i merse myself in street culture i learned that street societies live with a different set of rules. And those rules introduce me to the power of gun. The line, that line of education made power worth more than my own sanity. A gun will lead to my greatest pain my childhood, protecter, teenage role model, adult mentor and eventually my grown up responsibility my brother was murdered. The gun made a man. A sad one. A broken one. A lost one. A forever empty one. That is the man the gun made. [applause] reading from over last couple of day and i just want to thank dean and brian and xangd are a for putting this together and most of all i want to thank the responders who weve heard tonight or ive been reading in here who are really making me face my own complacency. So thank you i feel like this book is already doing its work. Gunning for it opinion have you ever smelled the residue, surely a car has backfired on your street sent your pulse climbing up the back stairs. Have you ever held the cold power in your palm . Heats up from your body doesnt it . Pools down the body it hits. Have you seen the warmth wiped out of skin . When you havent, you know the number numbers are gunning for you. Theyll track you down anywhere with with ease. Violence rests everywhere even in your histories. Take me for example, an ancestor shot a man in the head once he stopped a mass murderer in has tracks. U how do you explain a history like that . By telling the whole story how that relative also left another man for dead having hit him over the head with rage. He had that kind of temper. The innocent man happened to live just as the guilty man fell dead before he took the street of lives justice just an accident where violence meets its match. Luck is into the history had of merit. You touch the gun. It breathes in breathes out. Plots a future of its own weighs its chances of righteousness of the right hand unwaiverring. [applause] at this point you may be thinking this book is pop lated with a bunch of gun grabbers. Thats not the case at all a number of poets and respondents are gun own rs, and when we first conceived this structure, this column structure for the book they expected that that structure would result in a conversation. Thats exactly what we ended up with. Some of the responses problem the whole conversation of guns in america. It is a complex issue its not an easy issue. There are many sides and many aspects. Brian themes response to morgan poem was not as the response that we hoped for. Or expected but it tells some honest and hard truths. Brian theme was a retired is a retired detective from the Oakland Police department. Rebecca morgan frank poem stirred my emotions big poetry does that. I spend 30 years in Law Enforcement and saw gun violence firsthand under the murder victims lying dead in streets, cars, poems and city parks. Many hundreds more who were wounded and survived at least physically. The problem with the emphasis on the gun part of gun violence is that it ignores human component and hurting guns is easier than targeting those to use them unlawfully and those who protect the shooters. Said the gorilla must move amongst the people as a fish swims in the sea. And our intercities were gun violence and epidemic shooters move among cities with impunity neighborhood residents know who they are what they look the other way. During political protests, black masked anarchists shoot gun and throw fire bombs and mail back into the crowd while Peaceful Protesters look the other way. Were signed on doors read nothing firearms permitted, and love limiting guns to ten round magazines wont solve the problem. Criminals already disobey laws prohibiting murder. Dont get me wrong, i support gun control. But until our society stops, excusing violence and ignoring those committing the acts the problem will not subside. I think seem understates the case a little bit in my personal opinion but hes not alone in pointing out importance of community responsibility. Several other respondents among michael of chicago and Camilla Williams made the same point in inner city chicago some of these people committing the violence are protected by their neighbors. But that itself is a complex issue how do you turn in your neighbor or your e brother and how do you turn in your cousin very complex issue. [applause] reading matthew and this is honestly one of the first poems that i knew i wanted to include when we were envisioning it called letter beginning with two letters by chase you whom i could not save listen to me. Can we agree kevlar backpack shouldnt be needed for children walking to school those same children also shouldnt require a suit of armor when stands on their front lawns or o snipers to watch their backs as they eat at mcdonalds. They shouldnt have to stop to consider the seed of a bullet or how it might reshape their body. But one winter back in detroit, i had one student who openedded a door and died. It was the front door to his house but it could have been any or door. And the bullet could have written any that i am. The shooter was 13 years old and was aiming at someone else. But a bullet doesnt care about aim it doesnt distinguish between the innocent and a the innocence. And how was the bullet supposed to know this child would open the door at the exact wrong moment because his friend was outside and screaming for help . Did i say i had one student who opened a door and died . Thats wrong. There were many. The classroom of grief had far more seats than the classroom for mass so every student in the classroom for mass could count the names of the dead. A kid opens a door. The bullet couldnt possibly know nor could the gun because guns dont kill people. They dont have minds to decide such things they dont choose or have a conscience. And when a man doesnt have a conscience, we call him a psycho path. This is how we know what type of Assault Rifle a man can be. And how discover the hell that is inside each of them today theres another shooting with dead kids everywhere, it was a school, a Movie Theater a parking lot, the world is full of doors. And you whom i cannot say you may open a door and enter a meadow or a eulogy and it is ladder youll be mourned and then buried in rit rick there will be monument of legislation, little flours made from red tape what should we do well ask again. The earth will close like a door above you, what should we do . And that click you hear thorning all so much for having me thank you for sharing your beautiful poetry. Your responses, stories and thank you to all of you here tonight to listen and bear witness to this. Im reading shannon founder of gun it is in america her response, it took the mass shooting of 20 babies and six educator and Elementary School in connecticut to wake me up to reality that gun violence can happen to anyone, anywhere, any time in america. No one gets out of america unscathed we have a story about one we know who was shot and kilted or injured and while the dts of the victims stories differ, the outcome is the same. Death an destruction. I didnt choose to get involved in gun violence prevention i was drafted by a war that kills more than 90 americans every day and injures hundreds more. Im serving as boots on the ground working side by side with mothers and other women to stem tide of lives lost. Baby, toddlers, students, veterans, families no one is immune to senseless and sudden tole of a bullet and remain on frontlines until many generations from now but that will against insanity of so many gun and so few laws is one our children and our childrens children but the fight has to start somewhere and for me it started in newtown. [applause] hello my maim is dr. Bill beg im an emergency room doctor from newtown, connecticut i live there with my wife and two kids five years ago this week, i was this boston, massachusetts. I was not more than a block from here andty heard a folk singer singing about love an peace and boy i left thinking isnt America Great . Who would have believed that just a few hours later i would be witness to the worst tragedy in the 21st century and witness to seeing the children of my friends gunned down in their classroom . As we all strive to reconcile that horrific day, i thought the answers were just going to be with laws and whoever yells and screams the loudest. But thats not the answer. Brian clemens and his colleagues they know what the answer is. Itits by identifying with peope and emotional level its with arts an sciences. When you reach someones inner emotions, they cant yell at you or o scream at you or call you a bad guy. The person who i had a chance to review this poem was brian was ross gaye and his poem was hunger, the bullet and its hunger. He starts off by saying the bullet and hunger craves the womb of the body and he finishes by saying no the bullet like you crave the warmth of the body. Like you only wants to die in someones arm as. Whom my retort has been the same in our retort should be that this is a Public Health issue. Gun violence just like other things like tobacco and cars, the bullet will no longer be in charge. Prior to sandy hook tragedy most medical professionals stood by me and that bullet ravage american citizen when is bullet is in charge it has one goal destroy the human body as well as the spirit of mankind. After the sandy hook tragedy, we americans led by common sense and our medical professions are now in charge. Gun violence is a Public Health issue. And we will tolerate no longer setting tears needlessly like the changes we made addressing the cigarettes, and drunk drivers that took so many lifers in last generation, the next generation of Young Americans has the burden of making those changes necessary to make gun deaths a thing of the past. Witnessing the unnecessary loss of life with so many Young Children and educators who were my friends they will expire to never give up fighting to decrease in order of gun violence deaths in our country. We are in the right side of history. The bullet be is no longer in charge ill just say as an example how impactful the arts and literature is. We referenced david weller the first passage david and i had a chance to go out to iowa last week. It is the heart of gun manufacturing and those who were sympathetic to the nra. And we had a similar event we werent yelling or screaming but we had a similar event with arts and literature and the like. And we actually were able to connect those who had opposing view point even those who were from the gun manufacturing plant those who were Even Associated with on the board of the nra came to us afterwards and said wow, wow, that was really impactful. Thanks for reaching out to us. They would never do that in other arenas when i testifieded before the u. S. Congress, this were only yelling screaming vilifying threatening my life, but this is the answer. The arts and literature thats the answer to unlocking what is best for america Going Forward. So thank you to all of you for coming out thanks boston, and thanks broin and everyone who came tonight. [applause] thank you bill. Bill is exactly right. This project is nothing if does not make emotional connection and i think it is going to be very good at doing that but e emotional connections are only first step. Second step is taking action based on those emotional connections bissed on that empathy. I would like to invite amy to come back up she didnt come here just to read shannon response like her to come back up to talk to you a little bit about the afnght of men in action and opportunities for you to take action after tonight. After amy talks please come down to a microphone at the bottom of starns well try to get a couple of those questions. Thank you. [applause] thanks again everyone im National Organizing director for guns in america ive been organizing and political and social issues since i was a kid. My first job i used to knock on door and raise money for the environment. This is knock on strangers doors tell them what i was doing and ask them for checks i still believe today thats the hard ears e job there is but it works every day peel let you in. I come from new england not friendlyist peel in the world were not the south. Rhode islanders boston all open their doors to me. And thats what were doing at moms. We are a movement, we started at shannons kitchen counter the day after ann city hook happened and grown to a movement of 4 Million People across the country. We have a dedicated chapter in every state. Two of them are out there tonight folks who run that. We have over 250 communities that we have we work in locally all across the country. We work to change the culture in our society. We work to educate people about how to keep their guns and store their guns. We with arent gun grabbers that others have referenced if you have a right to own a gun if you want to we want you to have a backgrounds check to own one we want to make sure youre not a domestic abuser shouldnt have one you should are to turn it this. If you have one in your home you should be storing safely so it is out of reach of your children or know sign of suicide to get gun out of house if someone is in jeopardy. And were out there talking, and sharing stories just like were doing tonight without these stories without the survivors in our movement who are willing to come out to share their stories and share what happened to them personally and how theyre impacted thats really how we get to the meat of this movement and to actually make change. And were fighting and state legislature all across the country and were winning i just on the rides over here was talking to the driver the uber driver who sent me over said im on your side how can i get involved but nothing has happeneddics no. Nothing is not happened. Lots has happened. First of all, five years ago there was no offense to the nr airings. They were passing every bill they wanted and state legislature across the country an they owned the United States congress. That is not the case him. We are stopping them in their tracks passing bad bills. Theyve been trying to get fermentless carry which mean anybody can carry a gun without a permit. Were stopping them were stopping them all over the country not just in massachusetts. Were stopping them at alabama, and mississippi. Were showing up in stot state house it is across the country red shirts they are infamous in state capitols across the country. Gun lobby knows they are there and sends memos about they were wust we were just in florida an gun lobbyist are from florida sent a memo about the mom and their red shirts watch out for them and they know what theyre talking about. [applause] an the first gun bill that the United States congress decided to take action on since tragedy in las vegas was called conceal to carry that brings us down to lowest standard in country to hear about the loaded weapon many public, in public. That vote in 2011 the last time it took place im going to get numbers wrong and somebody in the audience can correct me the vote margin was something around 130 votes the vote that took place last week where moms and survivors and other advocate and out on Capitol Steps with senators and members of congress and every group you can imagine under the sun and congress voted in that bill yes bill passed the United States house of representatives but vote margin was 33. And that is difference that were making and have been making in the past five years. So it is imperative that we share these stories and connect with people and then move those people into action and whether theyre action is just talking to their friend or neighbor and whether their action is dawning a red shirt or orange shirtover whatever you want and heading to your state capital talking to your state legislature or deciding to run for office because those 33 votes that were down to are not going to change their minds and if theyre not going to change their minds then we take seats away and put people in who think the right way so thank you. [applause] any questions from the audience . Yes. Well, another aspect alluded to in governor of the poems but doesnt get as much attention is the United States is worlds leading exporter far and away. Last year over half of world arms transfer ares came from this country up 4 from the year before. Under obama reached record levels highest and trump will probably continue that. So it is understandable that we should be concerned about American Kids getting killed by american guns. But we also have to say a little sympathy for palestinian kids and afghan kids and columbian kids, with et cetera, et cetera getting killed by american guns as well and this is something to do something about politically because it is policy related questions and these are not getting attention they deserve. The impact of americans getting killed thats a great tragedy. But the tragedy magnitude is actually greater from american guns spread throughout the world. Thank you. One of the respondents in the book is noble peace prize williams won her noble for getting land mines outlawed worldwide and in her response in the book she makes exactly the point that you make. That we cannot continue being the world exporter of guns we cannot continue to develop killer robots and expect to do anything about gun violence. At home but thank you. Any other questions . Can you come to the mic please . [inaudible conversations] gentleman actually just said what i wanted to say but eisenhower said it better. He said you know, Everybody Knows he said well watch for the military Industrial Complex or industrial corporate military complex and i think in order to deal with a problem you have to look at root cause. Right now we know whats happening in yemen and supplying south africa with so much arms. Billions of dollars worth of arms so, i mean, thats the all im saying thats the root cause and i heard a lot of stuff i can tell you that in 1944 fort dicks we had a full circle and middle in fact circle listening to people and it willing them how theyre killed, killed, killing, communist and kill and went become to our barracks they said a communist thank you. Anyone like to respond to that . Well thank you for your comments. I think that my colleague often out left summed it up since sandy hook tragedy a lot that has chaiged and were now on offense no longerrer we sit become on our heels being defensive and just talking about it. Talk doesnt get the job done. So by all of the things all of the groups are doing these days, he takes cultural change it takes a generation, but i have i have absolutely seen change and so have the rest of the people in the panel so thats, thats a difference. We have to be proactive we have to take some chances and thats how change is going to happen Going Forward because u youre right we cant sit back to talk about it. We have things that happen. Question over here. I want to respond about arms worldwide, and Amnesty International has really been on the forefront of this for a really long time. And one of the things that the director of Amnesty International told me was that in the past two years, when she has seen in the world court with the nra having more and more influence has made Amnesty International actually decide that gun violence in america is apartment of their platform now. So theres a lot of people, a lot of groups that are doing international work. And its it is really frightening to me. My friend sandra is from guatemala and i was there during the genocide, and it is something that she and i have written about together. But i it would be remiss of us not to address international arms. Question this is really hard for me. [applause] five years ago tomorrow my life also changed. I have a 14yearold who was on the swim team in the pool when a friend of mine said it you hear what happened . An i said no. I hadnt seen the news or anything and that night in my emails, i found out from a distant cousin on my fathers side that one of the little girls was very distant cousin of mine who i never heard the name of dont know the family. But the impact of that an her name is my daughters middle name, and same color hair, it just something started turning in me and hard to believe it has been five years and im still not doing anything it be. I just recently let go of my career an finished first project as a designer. I dont to do it anymore. I need to do something. And if somebody in this room can live in boston im on the south shore. I am ready to do something. I am a signed up as a Sandy Hook Promise leader but i havent den a dam thing i signed up in january after this happened and i havent done a damn thing. And i just i cant i cant live with myself anymore if i dont do something. Hard for you youre in the right place. Thank you. [applause] i would say you just did something, i would say you just do something huge. So thank you. No theyre not going to let you. [laughter] [applause] doctor big, i think and not just honest way of going about it but i think finally enormously effective you mentioned cigarette and we can think of a number of ore issue or that we havent, you know, reframed in that way and yet when we do, it takes the illness and it gives a way of really going at it. So my question to you is what how do you see Public Health working . How do you see this you know as a mechanism of this structure of that kind of campaign . Thank you thatses a great question actually one of the times i had [inaudible conversations] no thank you saying it ised bad as Public Health issue thats the way to attack it. So i think one of the best opportunities with senator months ago and the example i gave was what happened with the aids epidemic where it was considered a scourge you didnt want to know anyone with aids and what happened is those afflicted with virus demanded together and a few things. They demanded to be recognized and be treated with respect. They demanded research when research happened, there was actual data on what the scope of the problem was and then from there flowed to address the issue. Whether it was money for different programs or for medications or policy change and the like so thats where i was talking, same thing happened with other things whether it is tobacco use or o classes they like. We need, you have to define it as such. You need a core group of people and then again, right now you know how many dollars we have for research in this country for for gun violence . Zero since 1996 zero dollars yet gun violence now including suicide one of the highest rates of gun of deaths in our country so thats where that is and before last five years we didnt frame that white so my colleague and friend over here what can you do . Let me tell you what i did when i got involved like in the audience i got from thed also you know what i did, we had an ohm former state representative of legislators and youve got three minutes to speak in front of state representative and i spoke with a lot of passion just like you and then somebody picked e me up and said wow you want i went and i spoke another another. Did the qukist away to forward change with bill or o policy changes and coming before state legislature, you can go and it doesnt mart what your background is you need three minutes, and you need passion and you have the fashion. So thats the quickist way to get involved because while we want to have change on the National Level welcome the most change is going to come on local level in the shortterm. Any closing comments from anyone on the panel . Thank you all so much for coming tonight. [applause] booktv covered many authors on Second Amendment and issues, including journalist emily miller and gary young and the parents of traifn traifn Sybrina Fulton and tracy martin if this is a top that i can interest you go it our website at booktv. Org and in the search bar type in, gun book. Youll find a large archive of authors and materials, all of these programs are available to watch online. Characteristic has always been famously authors take public books and publish them and they would become best sellers. One of which my favorite of that, of that trend is leo damore editorial p