Community Invited to Share Thoughts on Gun Violence

Gun violence is fresh on the minds of many people after the Newtown Elementary School Shootings in Connecticut and the recent shoot-out that followed a manhunt in the Boston Marathon bombings. Elon University in Alamance County is hosting a public forum tonight/Wednesday to take a closer look at the issue.

The public forum on gun violence in the United States will begin with statements prepared by a group of students, faculty and staff at Elon University. The panel discussion that follows will include experts to discuss the legal, law enforcement and public policy aspects of these issues.

The expert panel includes the Rev. Richard McBride, chaplain emeritus at Elon University; town of Elon Police Chief Cliff Parker; Burlington Councilman Celo Faucette; District 63 Rep. Steve Ross of the N.C. House of Representatives; and Michael Rich, associate professor of law at Elon University.

Tom Arcaro, a professor of sociology at Elon and co-chair of the committee organizing the event, says he wants the forum to serve as a learning experience for students and the community - to look at a complex issue like gun violence with as many perspectives as possible.

“They look at it from a range of perspectives, how it impacts people personally, how impacts schools, bullying, what the role of mental health is on the issue. We have a couple of presenters talking about guns and gun rights,” says Arcaro.

Audience members will also get to interact with panel members during a question and answer session. Arcaro says he hopes to continue the conversation after the event during a reception on campus.  

The forum on gun violence is free and open to the public. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 1 in McKinnon Hall at Elon University.