EL SEGUNDO HERALD May 10, 2018 Page 3
Regarding Letters Responding
to Moms and Gun Violence:
Mr. Robbins states that his friend would
have successfully defended herself against
rape if she had not been denied the right to
purchase a gun after failing a background
check. Many different scenarios could have
played out. There is no way to know what the
outcome would have been if she had the gun.
Mr. Wellfonder cites evidence of 2.5 million
incidents of defensive gun use per year. The
National Crime Victimization Survey estimated
65,000 DGUs annually for the same period.
Mr. Wellfonder rails against attempts to ban
defensive weapons. The AR-15, the weapon
of choice of mass shooters, is not a defensive
weapon. It fires a smaller faster bullet that
does massive damage to human flesh. It is
considered revolutionary in it killing power.
It is an assault weapon.
Ms. Fong complains that Everytown for
Gun Safety is a heavily funded lobbying
group but claims the NRA is simply a gun
safety organization. The NRA is a powerful
lobbying organization.
Mr. Redlich cites NRA’s gun safety program
for children but makes no mention of
the increasing number of toddler related gun
incidents. A September 2017 Washington Post
article states: “So far this year 17 toddler
shootings have ended in a fatality, while 26
resulted in a non-life-threatening injury.” In
one case a man was so distraught that his
two-year-old child had found his gun and
killed himself with it that he killed himself
as well. I support the moms.
– Michael Usher
Defends Moms Demand Action
I joined Moms Demand Action after the
massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary. I believed
in the premise of gathering as a group
of mothers to try to do something about the
epidemic of gun violence in this country.
Today I am even more committed to this
group. We are looking at common sense
policies and programs to reduce the often
preventable gun violence associated kills
96 people every day in America. The gun
lobby has mounted a successful campaign to
make us believe we are only safe by arming
ourselves more. I wholeheartedly disagree.
Guns in the home have repeatedly been
linked to increased rates of homicide and
suicide. Domestic violence victims are five
times more likely to be killed if her partner
owns a gun. We should not accept the fact
that a woman in the U.S. is fatally shot by
her current or former intimate partner every
16 hours. We should not accept the fact that
seven children and teens are killed with guns
on an average day in the U.S.
Moms Demand Action deserves our support.
There are common sense solutions that
most Americans agree with. Moms Demand
Action will continue to have all my support.
– Camille Wall
Make Our Community Safer
In November 2017, about a month after
the Las Vegas shooting, I was driving my
kindergartener home from school with tears
running down my cheeks unable to talk because
I didn’t want her to know I was crying
as she told me about the lockdown drill they
had at school that day. Up until joining the
South Bay Chapter of Moms Demand Action
I had felt hopeless and helpless when hearing
about another mass shooting. Volunteering
with this group has empowered me and given
me hope that together we can and will make
our community and country a safer place for
our children with common sense gun safety.
I’m proud of Julia, Shannon, and Joanna for
starting this group and proud to be part of it.
– Alison McPeck
More Hope Now
My daughter was six months old when the
Sandy Hook shooting occurred. I remember
the feelings of sadness, terror and hopelessness
in the wake of that event; I could not begin
to fathom what the parents of those children,
or what the parents and teachers of that community
were feeling. I remember thinking,
“That’s it. My daughter is never going to
school.” We shouldn’t have to shelter our
children in our homes just so that they don’t
have to shelter in place at school.
By the time the Las Vegas shooting occurred
in October 2017, something had changed.
I didn’t know it then, but Moms Demand
Action had been busy growing to more than
4.5 million members.
Joining Moms Demand Action has given
me more hope in the past seven months than
I’ve had in the past seven years, and being
part of this grassroots organization has also
given me the opportunity to take action and
do something about this senseless and often
preventable gun violence. I’ve made care cards
for survivors of gun violence, marched for
our lives, talked to fellow parents about gun
safety through the Be SMART program. I’ve
had opportunities to talk with responsible gun
owners about how they store their guns and
ammunition in a way that keeps kids safe.
I’m grateful to have found Moms Demand
Action and encourage anyone reading this to
check it out for themselves to find out what
we’re all about.
– Sarah Porter
Gun Safety is not
Liberal it’s Logical
96 Americans die every day due to gun
violence. Seven children and teens are killed
each day by guns. Black men are 13 times
more likely to be killed by a gun than white
men. These are just a few of the numbers
that confirm that the fear of gun violence in
this country is not unfounded and cannot be
likened to a liberal agenda.
One stat that is hard to pin down is a
child’s insatiable curiosity. That is why educating
parents on how to go about having a
discussion regarding guns in the home is a
responsible addition to also educating your
child on what to do when they see a gun.
Pro-gun groups argue that you’re safer when
armed; however, studies have shown that,
that is simply not true. The CDC concluded
in 1994 that the presence of a gun in your
home in fact increases your risk of being
injured. And what was the NRA’s response?
To shut down funding for CDC research on
gun violence.
The NRA spends millions on lobbying
efforts on behalf of gun manufacturers,
aggressively fighting common sense gun legislation
such as disarming domestic abusers.
This is not an organization concerned with
safety. This is why I support organizations
like Everytown for Gun Safety. Red flag
laws, background checks on all gun sales,
etc…save lives. They don’t repeal the 2nd
Amendment or disarm responsible gun owners.
They disarm those who shouldn’t have
a gun in the first place.
– Julie Holop
Want to Keep Children and
Communities Safe
After the Las Vegas shooting, I learned
about Moms Demand Action and immediately
wanted to volunteer with the El Segundo
chapter. We are not “anti-gun.” We want to
keep our children and communities safe.
Volunteers work hard to educate parents on
how to have uncomfortable, but necessary
conversations about guns in homes and what
parents can do to keep the guns out of the
reach of curious children. This particularly
hit home when the unthinkable happened.
My 7-year old twin boys were at a playdate
with a friend. The friend showed them a gun,
in the closet in his parent’s bedroom. Thankfully,
the father of the child discovered the
three boys looking at the gun and intervened
before anything bad happened. I hadn’t had the
uncomfortable conversation with that family
about whether or not they have guns in their
home and if they do, how they store them.
Letters
Police Reports
Thursday, April 26
One male adult was arrested at 0223 hours
from the 1200 block of East Imperial Avenue
for transportation of marijuana and false
impersonation of another.
One male adult was arrested at 0814 hours
from the 800 block of Virginia Street for
mayhem, spousal abuse and assault with a
deadly weapon.
One male adult was arrested at 0832 hours
from the 700 block of North Nash Street for
receiving stolen property and one outstanding
LASD felony warrant.
A lost/stolen license plate(s) report was
taken at 0912 hours from the 1400 block of
East Imperial Avenue. Unknown suspect(s)
removed the rear license plate from the victim’s
vehicle.
One male adult and one female adult were
arrested at 1114 hours from the 700 block
of North Nash Street for identity theft and
grand theft.
One female adult was arrested at 1207 hours
from the 17000 block of Red Hill Avenue in
Irvine for identity theft and possession of a
controlled substance.
A traffic accident (with injuries) occurred at
1159 hours at Douglas Street and El Segundo
Boulevard, three vehicles involved.
One female adult was arrested at 2156
hours from the 700 block of South Sepulveda
Boulevard for identity theft, possession of
a controlled substance, possession of drug
paraphernalia and petty theft.
Friday, April 27
One male adult was arrested at 0058
hours from the 1900 block of East Mariposa
Avenue for identity theft and possession of
stolen property.
A lost property report was taken at 0726
hours from the 500 block of North Sepulveda
Boulevard. An Apple iPhone was lost at the
location.
A petty theft report was taken at 1211
hours from the 800 block of South Sepulveda
Boulevard. Taken were hair cutting shears.
A concealed recording device report was
taken at 1544 hours from One Hornet Way. A
video camera was found hidden in a restroom.
One male adult was arrested at 1903
hours from the 500 block of Center Street
for domestic battery.
Saturday, April 28
One male adult was arrested at 0339 hours
from Aviation Boulevard and Hawaii Street
for misdemeanor DUI with a BAC of 0.08
percent or above.
A vandalism occurred between 04/27/18 and
04/28/18 in the 1200 block of East Imperial
Avenue. A vehicle window was shattered.
A found property report was taken at 0831
hours from the 300 block of Main Street. A
bicycle was found.
An identity theft report was taken at 0938
hours from the 500 block of East Oak Avenue.
A burglary (auto) occurred between 2123
hours and 2153 hours in the 700 block of
North Sepulveda Boulevard.
Sunday, April 29
A robbery/battery report was taken at 0111
hours from the 2100 block of East El Segundo
Boulevard.
Monday, April. 30
One female adult was arrested at 0002
hours from the 100 block of South Sepulveda
Boulevard for public intoxication.
A found property report was taken at 0805
hours from Imperial Avenue and Sheldon St.
Found was a black backpack.
A found property report was taken at 0928
hours from the 700 block of Lomita Street.
A revolver and ammunition were turned in
for safekeeping.
A burglary (commercial) report was taken
at 0956 hours from the 1900 block of Hughes
Way. Unknown suspect(s) entered victim’s
secured storage unit and ransacked the contents.
A burglary report was taken at 1114 hours
from Eucalyptus Drive and Imperial Avenue.
Unknown suspect(s) entered victim’s vehicle
and stole miscellaneous items.
A theft by false pretenses report was taken at
1329 hours from the 100 block of Penn Street.
-One female adult was detained at 1456
hours from the 800 block of South Douglas
Street and transported to Harbor UCLA
Medical Center for evaluation and treatment.
A dead body report was taken at 1917 hours
from the 200 block of East Maple Avenue
Tuesday, May 1
A burglary (commercial) report was taken
at 0736 hours from the 1900 block of Hughes
Way. Nothing was taken.
A burglary report was taken at 1556 hours
from the 1900 block of Hughes Way. Unknown
suspect(s) cut the lock to victim’s storage unit
to gain access.
A burglary report was taken at 1823 hours
from the 1900 block of Hughes Way. Unknown
suspect(s) entered the victim’s storage unit
and attempted to cut the lock.
Wednesday, May 2
A grand theft report was taken at 0417
hours from the 1200 block of East Acacia
Avenue. Unknown suspect(s) entered the
victim’s unlocked vehicle and stole property.
A domestic violence report, rape and criminal
threats report was taken at 0820 hours from
the 200 block of East Imperial Avenue.
A petty theft report was taken at 0915 hours
from the 1200 block of East Acacia Avenue.
Unknown suspect(s) entered the victim’s
unlocked vehicle and stole property.
A petty theft report was taken at 0931 hours
from the 800 block of South Sepulveda Boulevard.
Unknown suspect(s) took the victim’s
cell phone.
A lost property report was taken at 1107
hours from the 2000 block of East El Segundo.
An identity theft report was taken at 1207
hours from the 300 block of North Sepulveda
Boulevard.
A petty theft report was taken at 1634
hours from the 200 block of East Walnut
Avenue. Unknown suspect took a tailgate
from victim’s vehicle. •
TOWN HALL MEETINGS
FACILITIES MASTER PLAN FOR
EL SEGUNDO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
MAY 10 AND MAY 17
The El Segundo Unified School District (ESUSD) invites parents, employees and community
members to provide input and feedback regarding recommended revisions to the District’s
Long Range Facility Master Plan. ESUSD is committed to providing our children with a high
quality instructional program. Focus groups made recommended plan revisions based upon
the needs at each school site.
Attend a Town Hall Meeting on either May 10 or 17
from 6:00-7:30 p.m. and have your voice heard.
ESUSD TOWN HALL MEETING DATES
MAY 10: El Segundo Middle School, Bulldog Hall at 332 Center Street, El Segundo
May 17: El Segundo High School Library at 640 Main, El Segundo
Visit www.elsegundousd.net for more information.
See Letters, page 4