Rally for Nonviolence

By Chuck Handlon

I have invited all the legislators from the area to this rally. Most declined because of prior commitments. Now that the session has dragged on, many were not able to be here. Remember that Governor Pawlenty made passing the new concealed carry handgun law his highest legislative priority next to balancing the budget without taxes. You might know that Governor Pawlenty received $60,000 for his campaign from the National Rifle Association.
While Gov. Pawlenty pushed the new law allowing more citizens to carry handguns at the same time he was pushing budget cuts that will have serious negative impacts on public safety. Money for the statewide gang strike task force has been reduced to the point that Commander Ron Ryan states in a Post Bulletin article that the cuts are "like throwing up the white flags to gangs." "This is literally a devastating blow at exactly the wrong time. Are we supposed to go into the summer with fewer police, fewer resources to fight gangs and more guns on the street?" he stated.
Cuts to education after school programs, reducing the number of people who have adequate health insurance, funding cuts for violence prevention programs and women's shelters will all increase violence in our society. When a person has his or her physical, social, economic and spiritual needs met he or she is not prone to violence. Violence comes from inequities and the greed to take more.

Governor Pawlenty's insistence on passing the concealed carry handgun law is dealing with crime prevention like a doctor prescribing a bottle of alcohol for a man who has cancer. It may numb his pain for a while. But when the man wakes up, he not only still has the cancer, he feels worse with a hangover!

The issue of violence, though, is not a "partisan" one. It is not productive to "blame" this law on one party or another. The Republican party has always made a shall issue concealed carry bill party of their party platform and a legislative priority. But do you know that this handgun law would have become law last year but was stopped by a Republican! A Republican! Rochester's own state senator Sheila Kiscaden voted against this law last year which stopped it in the Senate. Thank you, Sheila. Do you know what that got her? She was ousted from the Republican party, and she had to run as an independent. But where were the Democrats last fall on this issue? I asked a member of the local DFL and was told there was a generic anti-gun plant in the party platform but not a specific condemnation of the "shall issue" law. This law might not have happened with more united, direct opposition of the Democratic party. So I urge Republicans and Democrats both to join in the efforts to curb handgun violence.

Now proponents of the new concealed carry handgun law claim that it will reduce "crime." Will the new law stem the rising tide of gang violence? Join me in the answer. NO! (I can't hear you) Will the new law reduce spousal abuse and domestic violence? NO! Will the new law make anyone think twice about putting up hate literature? NO! Will the new law stop road rage? NO! I predict that in one year crime in Minnesota will increase. Oh, the proponents will put their spin on this. They'll say, "There hasn't been enough time, it has worked in other states, yada, yada, yada." We will be watching and will be sure to cite those statistics next year which will show crime has NOT gone down.

What's the big deal the proponents of the new law say? Only 1.8% of the population will get a permit and choose to carry that gun in public. "Get over it." Well. Here is a glass of water. Now suppose I put 1.8% arsenic or cyanide into it. Want a drink? Hope you get the 98.2% that is uncontaminated. You wouldn't drink that because the 1.8% has made the whole glass toxic. It's poison! And the concealed carry handgun law threatens to poison the fine quality of life we have come to love here in Minnesota and are now watching slip away. Here is what should be done with the concealed carry handgun law: (Pour out water). DUMP IT! If you are interested in working on this, sign the petition to repeal the law. These will be sent by overnight express to a woman in Bloomington who is having a press conference tomorrow to announce the repeal campaign. Last Sunday one church alone collected 217 signatures!

" So what's the big deal," proponents of the new law say? Thirty-four other states have it with no problems (a lie, by the way). "Get over it." Now I am the parent of a 12-year-old boy. If my son came home and asked me if I would take him to an "R" rated movie (like the Matrix) because 35 of his friends are going, I would still say NO. I wouldn't care if 35 million of his friends were going. I would be remiss as a parent if I bowed to his "peer pressure" and allowed him to go which I feel is not good for him. Parents you should stand up and fight the violence! Turn off the TV, monitor the movies and videos your children see. Don't allow violent video games.

It is time for the message of nonviolence to move beyond the churches, mosques and synagogues into the public arena. Back in the 1980's, Minnesota became a model throughout the nation for its cutting edge approach to the treatment of chemical dependency. Can Minnesota become a model now for the treatment of violence and promotion of nonviolence? Wouldn't it be wonderful if the new concealed carry handgun law were implemented without ONE SINGLE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF GUN INJURIES OR DEATHS! I call upon the legislature and governor to declare May 28th (the day the law goes into effect) as "end violence day" or "nonviolence day." After all, we have Lutifiske day, and walleye day and everything else. Can't we focus on calling attention to ending violence for just one day? The Alliance of Peacemakers has other ideas suck as a "Peace in the Park" event or participating in the Rochester parade.

I call on the NRA and CCRN to join with groups like the CSM to set help up an independent trust fund to aid the victims of gun violence. According to a recent Post Bulletin article in the last 7 years CCRN has spent about $ 55,000 and the NRA about $ 300,000 on lobbying for the concealed carry handgun law. Well, you've won your right to carry now use it with responsibility ! Use some of your funds in the effort to curb violence.

It is important for us not to think that one form of violence is acceptable while another is not. This de-sensitizes us to all violence and prevents us from acting against violence. There are those who would protest on 7th St. in front of the Planned Parenthood clinic because they feel abortion kills an unborn child. I say to you, consider joining the Alliance of Peacemakers when they protest the killing of real children by cluster bombs. To me, killing is killing, whether it is abortion, capital punishment, homicide or human "collateral damage" from a military strike.

Wouldn't it be great to wake up one day and see a Post bulletin headline in the evening paper which says: "NO VIOLENCE OCCURRED TODAY !" Is it possible - maybe. Is it worth working for - definitely.

But the problem becomes so overwhelming at times a person doesn't know where to begin or what to do. Do anything which promotes better relations with your neighbor. This might be initiating a fundraiser for money to buy playground equipment for children. That is helping to stop violence. When children have places to play at which they feel secure and safe they will not be inclined to get involved with gang violence. Many other activities can be done - all of which are "nonpolitical". Volunteer in your local school, church or groups like Boys and Girls Club. Give to the women's shelter and food shelf. Organize a neighborhood picnic for the August neighbors night out event. It all helps to reduce violence.

Let me share a story. A man was walking along a beach one day when the tide had gone out. There were many starfish stranded in small pools along the rocks. Some of them would die before the tide returned -eaten by predators or dried out in the sun. The man noticed a yough girl picking up some of the starfish and throwing them back into the ocean. As he approached her he said, "young lady, why are you doing that- you can't possibly save all these starfish. What difference does it make ?" And as the girl picked up another starfish and tossed it into the water she replied, " It makes a difference to this one."

Go and make a difference. Work for nonviolence. Peace