SAVANNAH, GA - United States Attorney Edward Tarver announced that on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015, students in public schools throughout the Southern District of Georgia will join with students from across the nation to participate in the first annual Student Pledge Against Gun Violence Day.
Elementary, middle and high school students will be given the opportunity to voluntarily sign pledges. Older students will vow that they will never take a gun to school, will never resolve a dispute with a gun and will use their influence to prevent friends from using guns to cause harm to others. Elementary students will make a simpler commitment, pledging that if they see a gun they will not touch it, they will assume that any gun they see might be loaded and they will make smart choices to keep themselves safe.
The Student Pledge Against Gun Violence is a national initiative that honors the role that young people, through their own decisions, can play in reducing gun violence. Held in conjunction with the Day of National Concern about Young People and Gun Violence, the initiative provides a means for teachers and community leaders to speak to young people about gun violence. Over 10 million students nationwide have signed the pledge since its inception in 1996.
U.S. Attorney Tarver stated, “This United States Attorney’s Office is pleased to join in this important initiative. Through the pledge, we hope to provide our local schools with an opportunity to start a discussion with their students about the dangerous and often deadly toll that gun violence has on their generation. Prevention begins with the knowledge that each individual has the power to make the right choices to put an end to senseless violence."
In addition to providing the pledges to school leaders and students in the 43 counties that make up Georgia’s Southern District, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will also coordinate with community leaders and local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to provide speakers at several schools to talk to students about what they can do to reduce gun violence in their communities.
If your school is interested in participating in the Student Pledge Against Gun Violence Day, please contact Katie Guardino at katherine.guardino@usdoj.gov or 912-652-4422.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
