Springs Splash by Thomas Martin - April 2018

March 16, 2018

At 10 a.m. March 14 students, faculty, and staff walked out of

While students rallied on the westside of Broadway, Sonoma parents and residents joined the protest on the east side of Hwy. 12. People will recall that student upheaval was a major factor in the 60’s and 70’s. Those protests led to the passage of civil rights legislation and the curtailment of the Vietnam War.

200 Sonomans Gather At Hanna Boys Center In Mid-March… Congressman Mike Thompson Presses For National Background Checks On Gun Purchases!

On Saturday morning in mid-March 200 residents gathered at the Hanna Boys Center to hear Congressman Mike Thompson chastise the gun lobby and press for greater background checks on gun purchasers. Congressman Thompson and Rep. Peter King (R-NY) have introduced a bill, HR 4230, that would provide grants to states to establish systems of background checks on “all commercial firearm sales, including those at gun shows, over the internet and in classified ads.” Reportedly over 200 members of the House of Representatives have signed on in support of HR 4240. Even so, the NRA has been able to block hearings on the bill and prevent any votes for gun control legislation. The NRA muscle extends to the White House where representatives meet with the President regularly.

Parkland, Florida - 18 year-old voters may change the dynamics for gun control legislation in November.

Local residents lined up on either side of the room at Hanna to speak on the gun issue. Sonoma Valley High School students Ellie Bon and Lauren Worrona called upon people to “Speak Out! Tell everyone you know how important this is to you.”

Thompson noted that the youth movement may accomplish what adults have failed to do. He listed several high schools where he recently spoke and said the mood was hopeful that gun controls will be forthcoming.

Since the shootings in Florida, Thompson has spoken at schools from Napa to Newark asking help to end school and community gun violence. On March 12 Cong. Rho Khanna, Golden State Warriors Coach Steve Kerr, and Thompson addressed Newark students about the need for outlawing weapons, especially military weapons. Thompson told the students of his sad experience at theYountville Old Soldiers Home where three women were murdered by a veteran suffering from PTSD. In addition to states like California, where the voting age is 18, young folks will soon be at the polls. Their influence on the outcome will be carefully studied.

Supporting Data

Data supports the ideas in the Thompson-King bill. The Giffords Law Center To Prevent Gun Violence reports that from 2009-2012 states with background checks had 35% fewer gun deaths. Further, GLC found that states with background checks on all handgun sales had 52% fewer mass shootings, 63% fewer mass shootings by people forbidden from possessing firearms, and 64% fewer mass shootings involving domestic violence cases. The Giffords Law Center is founded by Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, herself a gun victim.

Citizens at the Hanna meeting seemed nearly unanimous – the only way to change the minds of recalcitrant legislators is to give them “political heat!”

Tom Martin. retired teacher and teacher union organizer, lives in the Boyes Springs area. He taught American History and Government at Santa Barbara High School for over twenty years. For another twenty years he served as Field Representative for the California Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, representing teachers in the five counties region north of the Golden Gate Bridge. He works with the Sonoma Valley Democrats, serves as a Docent at the Sonoma/Petaluma State Park, and is a member of the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission. Contact: 707-938-5025/tvmsonoma@att.net.