Back in February, Banana Republican tackled the thorniest, hot-button political issue of the moment: banning assault rifles. Even though I took an objective approach to the subject, a majority of comments in response to the cover story were full of invective and sabre rattling from gun enthusiasts from around the country. It seems no one can ever engage in a gun control debate without devolving into lunacy and personal insults.
Well, the Good Government Initiative at the University of Miami is aiming to change that. On Wednesday, April 17, the organization founded by former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Katy Sorenson is hosting a community discussion and luncheon featuring yours truly, gun control advocates, and representatives of the gun industry.
See also:
- Assault Rifles Are Big Business in Florida as Federal Ban Looms
"The panelists are going to discuss the politics of gun regulation and its effect on public health," says Sorenson, who is president and CEO of the Good Government Initiative. The luncheon is happening just as a proposed Congressional ban on assault rifles and high capacity magazines has all but fizzled on Capitol Hill. President Barack Obama keeps bringing the issue of gun control to the front with speeches demanding Congress at put some type of legislation up for a vote.
The panel includes:
- Judge Steven Leifman, Special Advisor on Criminal Justice & Mental Health for the Supreme Court of Florida
- Jorge Corbato, Miami rifle manufacturer featured in my story
- Lisa Peters, NRA member
- Judy Schaechter, M.D. Pediatrician and Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
The event takes place in the Hurricane 100 Room at the Bank United Center on the University of Miami campus. Registration begins at 11:30. Tickets are $35, $20 for students. For more information visit the Good Government Initiative's web-site.
Follow Francisco Alvarado on Twitter: @thefrankness.
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