Exactly two months after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, dozens of San Mateo residents came to the Burlingame High School theater April 14 to attend a town hall with Congresswoman Jackie Speier. On stage with the Congresswoman were four others: Stanford law professor Dr. John Donohue, emergency medicine physician Dr. Harrison Alter, Burlingame senior Alton Bobrov and the coordinator of the event, Burlingame senior Priya Koliwad.
Representatives from two interest groups — Moms Demand Action and the Brady Campaign — reached out to Koliwad prior to the event and were also in attendance.
Paola Maciocia, the leader of the local chapter of Moms Demand Action, had multiple goals for the event.
“What I’m hoping is coming out of this is that more young people learn about what gun safety means, what gun control means, and that what we are actually trying to achieve is more control on gun sales, ammunition sales and everything around guns,” Maciocia said. “So I hope that out of this, people will hear more about what we [Moms Demand Action] are after, what kind of control we are talking about, and they will join the movement.”
Around the country, local legislators have been hosting town halls with their constituents after Parkland activists have identified it as the next step in their goal for gun reform. Koliwad called Congresswoman Speier’s office to arrange a town hall.
“She was out of town at the moment, but since I also interned this past summer, Katrina [Speier’s communications director] just called me and asked if this would be something I want to work on,” Koliwad said. “She asked if we wanted to have one here [because] the congresswoman would be here this weekend, and so I said yes.”
Koliwad’s goals for the town hall were to get students involved and have them learn about civic engagement.
“If [students] can’t vote yet they still are able to interact with their congresspeople,” Koliwad said. “Just entering the world as adults, it is important to understand that you have a voice, and so even if not on this topic specifically, while it is really important for students, they can learn how to get involved in democracy.”
The event began just after 1 p.m., starting with an introduction of the speakers, followed by all of them answering an introductory question — what gun violence and the discussion over gun control means to them.
“It’s extremely gratifying to … take the temperature of the general community and the opinions of Congresswoman Speier”
One poignant set of experiences came from Alter, who has treated many victims affected by gun violence.
“I have too many times held in my own hands the heart of a young person killed by a bullet,” Alter said. “I have too many times locked eyes with a man or woman or child so filled with fear that their life is ending, and often they’re right, because guns are very efficient in that department. And I have way too many times sat down in a room to tell a family their loved one is dead.”
After sharing their personal stories, Koliwad asked the panel a series of questions that were submitted by audience members when they initially signed up for the event.
When discussing the lack of government funding into gun violence research, Donohue explained how interest groups think about such research.
“Certainly in the NRA and the gun lobby, there is enough money that if they wanted to fund research, they would have the assets to do that, which makes me think they are skeptical about whether knowledge on this issue would benefit their financial interests,” Donohue said, “because if it would help them to know what the truth was about possession of guns in various contexts, they could certainly fund that research, make it available, and use logical and data-based arguments for the positions that are often driven merely by fear and anger.”
With under an hour to go, audience questions began, kicked off by senior Granger Brenneman and Millbrae junior Stephanie Wong. They discussed gun control-related bills they are working to present to both the state and federal government, getting feedback from Congresswoman Speier and the other panelists.
Brenneman’s bill targets the faults in the current background check system people need to go through before owning a gun. In Brenneman’s bill, the background check system “would model the current licensing and testing system of obtaining a car or a drivers license,” Wong said.
After the event, Brenneman talked about the chance to present his ideas to the congresswoman.
“This is sort of the first presentation of the bill,” Brenneman said, “so it’s extremely gratifying to sort of take the temperature of the general community and the opinions of Congresswoman Speier.”
While writing his bill, Brenneman encountered the challenge of to what extent the government should regulate gun purchases.
“Although all of the panelists had similar perspectives regarding the issue, it was interesting to view their nuanced perspectives, which varied based on their field of knowledge”
“There are definitely regulations and restrictions that should be put on the Second Amendment,” Brenneman said, “but at the same time, the Second Amendment is the Second Amendment, it’s so important for self-defense, for defending against a hostile government.”
After the Q&A period, the event concluded with last thoughts from all the panelists, ending at about 3 p.m. Junior Madeleine Simmons liked the various points of view that the town hall hosted.
“I did not expect to hear perspectives from medical and law professionals, but I think that it benefitted my experience in that it provided alternate perspectives from those not involved with politics,” Simmons said. “Although all of the panelists had similar perspectives regarding the issue, it was interesting to view their nuanced perspectives, which varied based on their field of knowledge.”
Despite efforts to stay impartial and have a balanced discussion, there was some criticism from the audience. Simmons found some of the audience’s questions “long and irrelevant.” At the same time, Brenneman thought the discussion was “a little biased towards the left.”
They did call guns a threat directly,” Brenneman said, “but I’m incredibly positive that such a conversation is able to happen at all.”
Congresswoman Speier commented on doubts and pessimism that may arise in the fight for gun reform, especially among the youth.
“Margaret Mead once said, ‘Never doubt that a small group of people can change the world, it’s the only way it has ever happened,’” Speier said. “Florida’s laws were changed in three weeks because Parkland students advocated, and if we appreciate the fact that gun violence prevention is absolutely something that everyone in this country can embrace, young people can take that banner and change things in ways that we never thought could happen.”
The congresswoman also touched on the importance and power of youth in the debate for gun control.
“I can’t say it any more specifically than to say, you have power,” she said. “Look at the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School — they got 800,000 young people out in Washington, D.C., the largest protest in the history of our country. You’re in charge now, you just have to take control.”
