Good morning, welcome to Radioactivity. I’m Rob Lorei. Coming up—some practical ideas about how to reduce gun violence in the US.

But first one listener comment about yesterday’s program. Part of the discussion yesterday was about President Trump’s announcement that he would not debate his Republican opponents before the upcoming presidential primaries.

Here’s what one listener had to say.

tape

In recent years there have been dozens of mass shootings in the US involving the deaths of four or more people. Semiautomatic weapons were the weapons of choice by most of the killers. By far most of the weapons were legally obtained. So far neither Congress nor Tallahassee have taken much action to reduce gun violence. We’re going to discuss some possible remedies with

Igor Volsky is the co-founder and executive director of Guns Down America, an organization dedicated to building a future with fewer guns. He made headlines in 2015 for shaming lawmakers who took money from the NRA and sent “thoughts and prayers” after mass shootings.

He’ll be speaking in Tampa next Tuesday and Wednesday. More on that in a moment.

Igor Volsky, author and gun safety activist, will speak in Tampa on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019 at a luncheon sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Hillsborough County. The luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. at the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City, and tickets are $30; make a reservation before Sept. 13 at www.hclwv.org/gunsafety. Volsky will also appear at the Oxford Exchange for a Book Talk and Signing at 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18; tickets are $5 per person and are available at the Oxford Exchange website.

In GUNS DOWN: How to Defeat the NRA and Build a Safer Future with Fewer Guns, Volsky makes an evidence-based argument about the importance of achieving a drastic reduction of the 390 million guns currently in circulation in the United States. Bold and radical, it offers a plan that Volsky says would have been embraced by our Founding Fathers, and a plan that will actually work. Moreover, he presents a ten-point New Second Amendment Compact, developed with the input of policy experts from across the political spectrum, which includes reforms that have been proven to reduce gun violence around the globe.

Its ten simple elements are:

End gun manufacturer immunity from civil lawsuits and criminal prosecution. Increase oversight and regulation of gun manufacturers. Regulate and license gun dealers. Prohibit the sale of semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines to civilians. Provide financial and other incentives for people to give up their existing firearms. Dramatically expand existing regulations on firearms and enforcement of those regulations. Make licensing and firearm registration mandatory. Require all gun owners to have insurance, just like we require car insurance. End open carry. Fund scientific research to identify the best ways to reduce gun violence, and invest in community-based programs to do so.For additional information on the LWVHC please go to our website athttps://HCLWV.org or PO Box 1801, Tampa, 33601-1801 , (813) 649-4309.

Next, a group hoping to raise the minimum wage in the state is holding a meeting tonight at the IBEW union hall in Tampa. The group is Fight for 15. They are calling for an increase of the minimum wage in Florida from $8.46/hour to $15/hour. One of the speakers tonight is our next guest. Jeremie Greer is co-founder of a group called Liberation in a Generation. The group is aiming to create what it calls a “Liberation Economy.” He joins us now to explain.

FMI: https://www.facebook.com/events/695415467551634/