The Canton League of Women Voters joins the citizens of Connecticut, and those of the nation, in mourning the senseless and violent loss of life of children and staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.
We believe that all children deserve to be free from gun violence, whether they live in suburban towns, urban centers or rural hamlets.
The League believes that our state needs to strengthen the mental health supports for our youth and young adults, even in these difficult economic times, as an essential investment in preserving public safety in our communities.
The Canton LWV had already planned, before tragedy struck in Newtown, to begin a study on mental health issues in the Farmington Valley.
The League also supports measures to protect the health and safety of citizens through regulating the ownership of handguns and semi-automatic weapons. Our statewide League works with CT Against Gun Violence (CAGV.org) to support public safety gun regulation.
In light of the Newtown tragedy, CT has become the focus of national attention. How we respond may impact the national debate disproportionate to our small size. Now is the time for a focused, sustained effort to pass common sense laws here in CT and in Congress – provisions that a majority of Americans of either political party can support, such as banning large capacity ammunition magazines, and renewing the federal ban on assault weapons.
The League urges you to send this message to your elected representatives: It is imperative to ban large capacity ammunition magazines. Sending this message is easy:
- for state officials, visit cagv.org and on the right, click on Legislative Action Center under Take Action, and
- locate your federal officials at http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
We also urge you to learn more about the CT Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness at http://www.namict.org/. And if you are interested in learning more about the Canton LWV’s study on mental health, contact Gina Magennis at 860-693-6175 or g.magennis76@gmail.com.
Gina Magennis and Jane Latus
Co-Presidents
League of Women Voters of Canton
