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May 17 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
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In-Person: An Evening with Fred Guttenberg & Thomas Gabor
Books & Books and Moms Demand Action present…
AN EVENING WITH FRED GUTTENBERG &
THOMAS GABOR
with an introduction by
Maria Jose (MJ) Wright
discussing
American Carnage: Shattering the Myths That Fuel Gun Violence
(Mango, $19.99)
Wednesday, May 17th, 7:00 PM | Books & Books, Coral Gables
RSVP HERE FOR FREE
Books & Books and Moms Demand Action are honored to present an evening with Fred Guttenberg & Thomas Gabor discussing their book: American Carnage: Shattering the Myths That Fuel Gun Violence (Mango, $19.99).
This event is FREE and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase on the night of the event! Please RSVP only if you intend to join us.
About the Book:
Shooting Down Gun Violence Misinformation
“Don’t tell me there’s no such thing as gun violence. It happened in Parkland.” ―Fred Guttenberg
#1 New Release in School Safety
Fred Guttenberg, who lost his beloved daughter Jaime in the 2018 Parkland school shooting, and International gun policy consultant Thomas Gabor team up in American Carnage to dismantle some of the most common myths about guns and gun violence.
A national disgrace. Over 40,000 die each year as a result of gun violence in America. Relative to other advanced countries, the U.S. has a dismal gun violence record. Gun law reforms could reduce the number of gun deaths per year, but many political challenges stand in the way. A widespread multi-year misinformation campaign and assault on truth by the gun lobby and gun-extremists sows doubt about the dangers posed by pervasive gun ownership and gun carrying, as well as the potential effectiveness of gun laws.
Debunking popular gun myths. Countering with strong evidence-based research the many slogans and myths repeated incessantly by spokespersons for the gun lobby and its surrogates is essential if we are to have a society in which kids can attend school safely and people can work and enjoy life without fear of being shot. Over the last 30 years, the NRA’s campaign to achieve an armed society has succeeded in persuading many Americans that having a gun in the home or carrying a gun makes them safer. The evidence is overwhelming this is not the case. Guns in the home are far more likely to be used against a family member or in a suicide attempt than against an intruder. Tackling this and other myths is critical.
Myths and slogans exposed as false in American Carnage include:
Gun owners frequently use firearms to fend off attackers
An armed society is a safer society
Guns don’t kill people, people kill people
If you have read Trigger Points, The Violence Project, Warning Signs, or Fred Guttenberg’s Find the Helpers, American Carnage is a must read.
BUY THE BOOK HERE
About the Authors:
Fred Guttenberg began his public life after the murder of his beautiful fourteen-year-old daughter Jaime in the Parkland, Florida, school shooting on Feb 14, 2018. The day after the murder, Fred decided to attend a public vigil. While there, the mayor asked him to speak. His words shook a nation and he has not stopped since. Only four months prior to the murder of his daughter, Fred’s brother Michael passed away in October 2017 from cancer related to his service in 9/11 in New York City. He was one of the original first responders at the World Trade Center with a team of doctors who got trapped in the WTC as it collapsed. Amazingly, the room that they hid out in did not collapse and Michael and his team of physicians spent sixteen days at ground zero taking care of others. Following his involvement in these two distinctly American tragedies, Fred has traveled the country talking about both events but also talking about perspective, perseverance, and resilience. He discusses pivotal moments in our lives and how we respond to those moments, using his speech to inspire others. Prior to these events, Fred Guttenberg’s professional life included over a decade in sales and management with Johnson & Johnson, followed by almost fifteen years as an entrepreneur, having built a business including nineteen Dunkin Donuts. Fred and his wife Jennifer now spend time challenging elected officials to do more. They began a nonprofit organization dedicated to Jaime’s life called “Orange Ribbons for Jaime.” He has been a regular on TV news programs and myriad online and print media. The nonprofit is now his full-time mission.
Thomas Gabor, formerly Professor of Criminology at Ottawa University, is an international gun policy consultant. An author of 200 works, he has testified in front of Parliamentary committees, served as an advisor to the United Nations, and advised governmental agencies. He is the author of Confronting Gun Violence in America and ENOUGH!.
About the Introducer:
Maria Jose (MJ) Wright
MJ’s son, Jerry Wright, was killed along with 48 others in the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, FL on June 12, 2016.
Almost immediately, with her husband Fred, she began speaking out against the scourge of gun violence in all its forms. Together they traveled to Washington D.C. to speak with national lawmakers to mark the one-month anniversary of Jerry’s death. Since then, they have spoken to crowds at Orlando Pride, March of Science Miami, March for Our Lives Miami Beach, Wear Orange events on National Gun Violence Awareness Day, vigils and educational programs promoting gun safety education. They have met with leaders and elected officials in Miami, Tallahassee, and around the country advocating for safer gun laws, given numerous media interviews and written opinion pieces for many publications.
MJ strongly believes more could be done to stop the gun violence epidemic that is lashing our country and taking lives every single day. To try to stop others from going through what her family has endured is the best way to honor her Jerry.
MJ has been a Fellow of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention group in the nation. She has also served as Lead in the local and state chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. She supports Giffords, Brady, BAWN, and numerous other gun violence prevention groups at both the national, state and local level.
Frustrated with the current political atmosphere at both the state and national level, lately she has focused her efforts on Miami-Dade groups working in the most impacted communities to try to find ways to help keep young people safer, help survivors navigate the aftermath and empower these vulnerable communities to use their voice.
