In conjunction with National Gun Violence Awareness Day Thursday, Robin Neipp of Leyden is organizing a community event on the Leyden Town Common from 6 to 8 p.m. where residents will share personal stories of lives lost and discuss ways to prevent gun violence.
The event is sponsored by Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Everytown for Gun Safety, who completed a study finding that “nearly 12,000 Americans are murdered with guns every year — a rate more than 20 times higher than that of other developed countries.”
“(Gun violence is) so prevalent now, I feel like we don’t even blink an eye when we see another mass shooting,” Neipp said. “We’re accepting it as part of our everyday lives in America.”
Neipp hopes that her event will allow people to come together, recognize that there is an issue and work together to find solutions. Leyden Police Chief Dan Galvis will attend to share information on Massachusetts’ gun laws, proper storage of guns and gun safety classes that are available in the area.
While gun violence against one another is a serious problem, Neipp’s event is also intended to consider the danger that poorly hidden guns pose for children.
Neipp first decided to organize an event in her town three weeks ago during a trip to Cancun, where she read an article in the Times Digest, a 10-page synopsis of The New York Times that is distributed in more than 50 countries. The article, titled “Guns in Tiny Hands: 4 Toddlers Die in a Week,” told of the potentially tragic outcomes that arise when guns are not safely stored and can easily be accessed by children.
The story hit close to home for Neipp, who works as a nurse in the emergency room at Baystate Franklin Medical Center and has treated gun shot victims. And, she has a personal story of her own.
Neipp’s children were playing at a trusted friend’s house when Neipp’s friend’s children and her own children managed to find the key to the home’s gun safe and open the door. Luckily, the children were found and the gun safe relocked before the situation could take a turn for the worse.
“That was a real eye opener for me,” she said. “[My friend] and I were both shocked. Even though you’re doing everything that you think is right, [your children] watch you.”
Children, she elaborated, are curious, and often know by observation where their parents hide things, like keys to the house’s gun safe.
Though Neipp is unsure how many people will attend Thursday’s event, she said that even if 10 people show up, and “one person goes home considering the best place to store their gun” or if the event leads to one less toddler finding a gun, then it will have been worthwhile.
“We can at least make sure that our guns are safely stored, that our kids don’t have access to them,” she said. “These are preventable things. It’s common sense, really.”
Neipp asks that even those who cannot attend the event wear orange, the color of National Gun Violence Awareness Day on Thursday to show their support.
“We really want to blanket the country in orange that day,” she said.