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It was for all these reasons that the RCLLG sponsored a Town Meeting on Gun Violence on August 18, 7993. The Town Meeting's panel was made up of informed individuals from a variety of professional backgrounds who'work with the issues surrounding gun violence every day. 7be panelists included,0 • S9t- Cornelius "Butch" Benner III Shooting Response Tem Saint Paul Police Department; • Mary K. Boyd, Principal, Area Le ng Center,-Saint Paut Publfc S • Gilbert De is O, Multi-Services Coordinator Neighborhood House; • Susan Haigh, First Assistant, Ramsey County Attorney's Office; Bob Hamon. Director of Adult Oourt Division,, Ramsey County Corrections; Nancy LeTourneau, Director, Saint Paul Youth'Service BurEau; • Dr. Michael McGoaigal, M.D., Director of Trauma Services, Saint Paulo Ramsey Medical Center; • Joanne Smith, Judge, Ramsey County; and Jack Tunheim, Chief Deputy Attorney General, Although the majority of offenses involving guns ve cornrnittcd by adults, most attention by the community at large and by the RCLIG Town Meeting was focussed on the issues surrounding juveniles,and guns. These seems to be for two reasons. The first reason centers around the emotions surrounding children and Burks. No matter bow many robberies or hoatiridcs are commuted by adults with guns, the community i5 always more shocked by similar crimes committed by children The conflicting images (.f a yours and innocent child and a guru, a tool designed to be used by adults for violent purposes, strikes at the very care of our beliefs of what is wrong iva our world. We want to believe that our children are more interested in balls and bikes. Seeing our children with pistols and bullets shocks us and forces us to reexamine our environment. The second season most discussions of gun violence and to focus an juveniles is the growing recognition that prevention wiiI more GffectiveIy reduce violence than law enforcement. Helpfng children learn to dent non-violently with-the world around them will bring us closer to solving the problems of Qua violence than more police officers or qua control laws. Teaching children self-respect, discipline, and respect for others will help more than uzatizg all children as potential aime suspects, The cycle of allowing children to commit gun crimes and then prosecuting them must be broken. Listsd below are a number of possible solutions to the problems of gun violence. No single effort will solve the problems-6 not Will oornplete implementation of these prepos�ls act as a cure-mail. But implementation of any one of these proposals will be a step in the right direction. Local Sover=en% and the rest of the community, must not delay any longer. We must act now with a comtaunity,�Mde effort to stop gun violence in our neighborhoods.