Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: May 7, 2007
Contact : Sue McKinney
PRESS ADVISORY
STUDENTS TO SIGN GUN PLEDGE
MACON: U.S. Attorney Maxwell Wood announces that over 2000 middle school students in the Houston County school system will be joining over 5 million other students around the nation who have signed a pledge against gun violence on Tuesday, May 8, 2007. The pledge signing will take place during a program presented in the Miller Murphy Building at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry, from 11:15 am to 12:00 noon, as part of a Teen Health Forum to be held for all 8th grade students .
This will be Houston County’s first observance of the event. The Student Pledge Against Gun Violence provides in substance that students will not carry guns to school or use a gun to resolve personal problems or disputes. In announcing the event, U.S. Attorney Wood stated, “By giving our students the opportunity to sign a pledge in the company of their peers, knowing that other students across the state and country have done the same, we can hopefully cause them to think about the toll of gun violence on their generation and encourage them to envision ways to diminish this threat to their health and safety.”
The event will be sponsored by the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, Macon Regional Crimestoppers, Student Crimestoppers and Houston County Schools. Invited speakers include U.S. Attorney Max Wood, District Attorney Kelly Burke, Superintendent Danny Carpenter, Houston County Sheriff Cullen Talton, Warner Robins Police Chief Brett Evans and Perry Director of Public Safety George Potter. Media is encouraged to attend. If you need additional information about the Student Pledge Against Gun Violence program, please contact Pamela Lightsey, Community Relations Specialist, at 478-621-2603.
