AMHERST – Amherst could join numerous communities across the United States in signing a statement aimed at preventing gun violence.
The Board of Health, which has been researching the topic of gun violence as a public health matter, is asking the Select Board to endorse the statement of principles issued by the Mayors Against Illegal Guns organization.
But the Select Board Monday opted not to act on the measure until mid-June, at the earliest.
“It won’t be before June 20,” Select Board Chairwoman Alisa Brewer said.
The health board in April sent a letter asking that the Select Board sign a statement of principles that includes punishing those who possess, use and traffic in illegal guns, extending background checks and supporting legislation targeting illegal guns.
Select Board members say they have gotten some reactions to the proposal and want to make sure residents have a chance to weigh in during a meeting.
“I think we need a further presentation on it,” said board member Andrew Steinberg.
Because Amherst is in the midst of Town Meeting, which will have its sixth session Wednesday, Select Board meetings are brief and do not have public comment. Regular Select Board meetings will resume in June.
In the letter, the health board writes that its “research has revealed several areas in which we feel we can have an impact through education and advocacy. Particular areas of concern include the role of guns in accidental shootings by young children having access to improperly stored guns, guns and domestic violence, and unintentional and intentional self-inflicted gun wounds by troubled adults.”
The board took up the issue after member Julie Marcus last fall attended an American Public Health Association “webinar” titled “Gun Violence in the United States.” Marcus learned that there are 36,000 deaths by guns each year in the United States and that 80 percent of children who die from guns shoot themselves.
In February, Police Chief Scott Livingstone spoke to the board, informing its members that gun violence is rare in Amherst and that the department has strategies to ensure guns are kept safe from children, including providing gun locks to gun owners.
If the Select Board signs the measure, it would allow Amherst to join Everytown.org, a union of Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense, and receive updates on strategies to educate the public about gun issues.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
