03-27-17 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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REGULAR MEETING MARCH 27, 2017 violence. We have stopped some seven (7) states from passing guns -on- campus and campus - carry laws. Very significantly, Moms Demand Action began a Be Smart campaign, now endorsed by the national EPA. Mr. Miller stated, This brings us back to South Bend. On April 9th, 2014, Joellen and I watched in sadness the devastating news of a two (2) year old shot near the Triangle. Joellen saw outraged Councilman Dr. Fred Ferlic on the report, who lived near where the shooting happened. We reached out to Dr. Ferlic, and his idea for a Common Council resolution began. Our idea is to bring leaders together and demand our legislators pass common sense gun laws that also protect the Second Amendment. As an example, Indiana accounts for nineteen percent (19 %) of all crime guns in Chicago. Sixty percent (60 %) of the guns that end up being used in crimes in Chicago come from outside of Chicago. We now know that Indiana supplies nineteen percent (19 %) of those guns, as well as other states with weaker gun laws. WGN reported on a person who came down to Indiana and filled his trunk with cheap guns from our gun shows and took those guns to Chicago to sell. He was also convicted of other trafficking charges. To end my presentation, I wanted to thank all my coalition members that are here for their support of the South Bend gun safety resolution. I'm going to name some of those supporters: Mayor Pete Buttigieg; Chief of Police Scott Ruszkowski; Dr. Kenneth Spells, Superintendent of Schools; Bishop Douglas Sparks, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana; Bobbie Woods of Mamas Against Violence; Notre Dame Students Against Gun Violence, part of the South Bend GDI program; Sinai Synagogue; the Center of Peace and Nonviolence; Kern Road Mennonite Church; Everytown for Gun Safety; Moms Demand Action; and Michiana Peace and Justice Coalition. Dr. Fred Ferlic, 1128 Georgiana Street, South Bend, IN, continued the presentation. Dr. Ferlic stated, As a physician that has treated gunshot victims for over forty (40) years, I can't tell you how devastating it is. Just in USA Today, the headline is "American Wonders `Where Can I Be Safe ? "' about last weekend's shootings in multiple states. I would ask that the Council pass this resolution so we can send it down- state, so hopefully our State legislature can be the twenty -first (21) state to pass background checks. Councilmember Dr. David Varner asked if the resolution had been read. As it had not been, Councilmember Gavin Ferlic read a portion of the resolution to the Council and public. Councilmember Oliver Davis asked, What is your strategy, once this is —let's say — favorably passed tonight, for it to have a greater impact in Indianapolis? When will that be heard this year at all, or are we talking 2018? If we are targeting 2018, what's going to be the strategy between now and then, regarding meeting with our State delegation? Recognizing the fact that we do have a Republican government, we do have a Republic legislature, how can we walk that through? Because it's going to take not only a Democrat person to do it, it's going to take some of the Republican leadership. Dr. Ferlic responded, That's a great question, and probably unanswerable, Oliver. We talked to John Broden, who is much more knowledgeable on State legislature than we are, and he gave us advice last fall on it. We would like our representatives here in South Bend to carry this down, but also Mayor Pete to be involved with the other mayors around the State. The Mayor of Bloomington is sympathetic to this, as a resolution. There are many mayors that are very concerned about this issue. Part of it will be the Council's responsibility of getting our State representatives to take it down- state, and then the rest will fall on Mayor Pete's back to take it to other mayors. And once it gets down to State legislatures —Jo will tell you —it's a whole different ball game. I don't have that legislative experience, but we do have an organization— Stephen can tell you about it— called Everytown, founded by Mayor Bloomberg. That's a bipartisan commission. Councilmember Davis stated that he agreed with the statements made by Dr. Ferlic, adding that this was why he wanted to know what the initial strategy would be. Mr. Miller stated, I'm not a policy expert or a politician, but Everytown for Gun Safety want to see this fostered by other Indiana cities, as well. We will form a more concerted effort to bring to attention this issue to our State legislature in the hopes that there may be an opening at some point to consider these measures in the resolution. 22