Coping with the practically endless barrage of tragedies and disasters that are instantaneously delivered through digital and social media these days can seem a daunting, if not impossible, task. More often than not, many are left feeling helpless — succumbing to apathy or acceptance fueled by the perceived futility of action, or perhaps wanting to get involved, but not knowing what to do or where to start.

Next Tuesday, a small coalition of islanders led by Kathryn True and Jenna Riggs — both of whom found themselves in the latter group — will see their efforts to take action pay off with a community forum on gun safety.

“Last fall, in the wake of the news of another mass shooting, I was talking to a friend (Riggs) about how I felt so helpless and sad,” True explained. “And we wondered what we could do and how we could help.”

After talking to a few other interested islanders, the small group began a grassroots effort in partnership with the Vashon Alliance to Reduce Substance Abuse (VARSA) to put together an educational event.

“We are viewing this as a public health issue,” True said. “There is nothing political involved at all — this is not about whether or not people should own guns, we have gun owners involved in the group. Having firearms locked up, just like locking up prescription meds, is just a smart thing to do for everyone.”

Billed as “Let’s Talk: Safe Communities and Guns,” the forum aims to offer guidance to parents for talking to their friends or the parents of their children’s friends about securing guns safely, go over options for the safe storage of firearms and educate about the public health issue of firearm violence and what can be done about it. Keynote speaker Dr. Ali Rowhani-Rahbar, assistant professor of epidemiology and adjunct assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington’s School of Public Health and a core investigator at the Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center, has devoted his research to violence and injury prevention, and how to make lives better for people after they have sustained violent injuries. He narrowed his focus specifically to gun violence after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut four years ago.

“Firearm injuries are a profound public health problem,” he said. “One hundred and twenty thousand people are shot every year in this country. About 33,000 die, and 90,000 sustain injuries that may have anything from short to very long-term consequences. This is a very big problem, and most don’t realize just how serious it is.”

In Washington, gun deaths exceed those due to car accidents, Rowhani-Rahbar noted, and there has been a lot of energy put into car safety and accident prevention — but hardly any into gun safety due to a Congressionally imposed moratorium on the Centers for Disease Control’s activity in this area.

Firearm fatalities can be due to suicide, assault, accidents or law enforcement intervention, but for the Vashon forum, True and Riggs’ group requested that the focus be on suicide.

“About 80 percent of all gun deaths in this state are suicides,” Rowhani-Rahbar said, adding that the national average is 65 percent. “There is evidence from the literature that storing a gun safely can lead to a 75 percent reduction in the chance of accidental death or suicide. This is the important point to highlight.”

To put these statistics into context, twice as many people between the ages of 1 and 24 die from firearm injuries than from cancer.

Also speaking at the event will be Woody Pollock, a community trainer for VARSA, who facilitates Mental Health First Aid training and parent education classes. Pollock’s portion of the program will focus on offering conversation starters for parents to communicate with their children, as well as the parents of their children’s friends, about limiting access to firearms in their homes.

“Many people are reluctant to bring up the topic of firearms because of how politically and ideologically loaded the subject has become in our culture,” he said in an email to The Beachcomber. “Removing the ‘good versus bad’ positions when it comes to being a firearm owner or not, and directing the conversation to how to keep our most vulnerable community members safe from harm from firearms, (through unauthorized/supervised or inappropriate use) is where we can be most effective.”

Pollock has been engaging teens, parents and community members for years as a facilitator and coach. A gun owner himself, he has also had firearms training through the military, law enforcement and private instruction, and has been a competitive shooter, range instructor and recreational hunter.

“I am passionate about the issue of safe firearm use and storage because one in three homes with children have guns in them,” he said in the email. “And some of them will be unlocked and/or loaded. As a community trainer and parent educator, I want to ensure that parents create positive conversations about safety and are equipped to eliminate as many risk factors facing their children’s safety as possible.”

Also at the event will be representatives from Public Health – Seattle & King County, Seattle Children’s Hospital and the King County Sheriff’s Office, which is donating firearm cable locks to give to interested attendees.

True said that the group is excited about an initial positive response from the schools, and many parents have expressed an interest in the subject because they find it difficult to initiate these conversations with other parents.

“It just feels like it’s good timing for the community to have this presentation,” she said.

While the group does not have any specific plans beyond this event, True said that members hope to continue to increase interest and awareness in the community.

“This has been so worthwhile, it’s exciting to have come this far and have people so receptive to it,” she added. “It’s been a lot of hard work and coming together. I hope people will feel comfortable enough to come. We’re all here to keep each other safe, and we all care about our kids and each other.”

“Let’s Talk: Safe Communities and Guns” will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, in the VHS theater. Those who cannot attend but would like a firearm cable lock should contact VARSA.

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