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Gun Violence Prevention Letter to CT and US-All/ PLANS for Safety

on Fri, 04/04/2014 - 15:01
  
  
 
 
To the Members of the Gun Violence Prevention Working Group and other Committees as 
well, 
 
As the mother of teenager Kaelan Paton who died trying to rescue a friend against great 
odds on June 16th, 2009, I ask that all adults, parents, teenagers and children and 
community and governmental leaders Voluntarily take strong measures to promote safety 
and non-violence at all levels. 
 
 The PLANS (People Living and Learning with Agreements and Networking through Schools 
and Societal Laws and Practices) we live by and create impact everyone. 
 
 Regarding availability of guns, the stricter measures should prevail since many countries do 
not allow for private gun ownership, and certainly not the kind of assault rifles which fire 
many rounds. 
 
 In addition to new laws promoting more comprehensive background checks for mental 
health and domestic violence issues that could be linked to inappropriate gun ownership, 
there should be a comprehensive website for all citizens in the country to readily access for 
understanding human development of young children and ongoing through the decades. 
 
 Too often parents and other adults are abusive toward children or others in their care--the 
handicapped, elders, and or the infirmed or even other family members--in the name of 
discipline or punishments and adhering to strict guidelines of their own making. 
 
 All youth should be required to have bi-annual exams for health, safety and living 
conditions which could include a check to see that guns are properly stored. I would be 
grateful to work with others to promote safety in many 'early intervention' ways to make 
certain all youth are properly supervised, similar to what is required by every state when 
divorces or custody plans are put in place legally. 
 
 All adults and parents need to understand the responsibilities of being a parent for youth 
under age 18 and in coordination with schools, sports or camp programs as well as private 
individuals caring for their own children or others. We already have the more stringent laws 
regarding driving and not serving alcohol to minors. 
 
People need to know they do not have permission to give other people's children( or even 
their own if not supervised and approved by local guidelines) to do dangerous activities, 
such as the one that claimed our 16-year-old when he was at the Housatonic River near the 
raging Falls in Falls Village CT on June 16th, 2009 with a group of high school friends. All 
people need to be willing to report dangerous plans or situations to their schools, police, fire 
department and certainly other parents without feeling they are overstepping their roles. 
Women and children particularly need encouragement to let others know when they are 
being bullied, mistreated, isolated socially and physically, threatened with separation from 
their children or support people and deprived of autonomy. 
 
current information of the underground war against protective mothers who often lose 
access to their children when disclosing abuse. A thousand mothers are killed each year, 
and another 500 women by their so-called 'partners or spouses'. About 200 children are 
also killed by men in their mothers life or their own fathers. Almost half of the police calls 
are for family-based violence which too often prove fatal for not only the women and 
children, and responding officers, but similary to Adam Lanza, result also in the man killing himself as well. The idea that the man has 'ultimate control' over "his" wife, woman, 
children, home and assets needs serious review by the media. 
 
 The bonus materials on http://www.shouldistayorshouldigo.net/ could help all men, and 
yes, woman and parents consider whether they are trying to have power over others versus 
power with others. The information on http://www.lundybancroft.com/ should be required 
for all school and community leaders as well as read by all parents and adults, as well as 
youth to gain life-saving knowledge and insights into breaking cycles of violence and control 
dynamics in homes, schools, workplaces and society. 
 
 Our heroic son Kaelan Paton had a few moments to try to do all he could after saving two 
friends when he was on shore. Then he made a desperate attempt to reach another friend 
who could only be saved from someone coming down 80' on a rope from above, which 
thankfully occurred by rescuer Skip Kosciusko, resulting in his friend's rescue. 
 
While we debate these difficult issues of safety and gun control, let us each try to live with a 
greater appreciation for the values of treating others with kindness, courage and love as 
well as making plans for all people to work toward respectful and responsible 
communication and accountablitiy for those in our care and in our communities. 
 
-Catherine Palmer Paton, Falls Village CT, thinkingkapp@gmail.com, 860-626-5199 
 

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