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President Ogden Speaks at Press Conference on Gun Safety

Earlier today, 21CP Solutions hosted a virtual press conference with representatives from key law enforcement associations to call on the U.S. Senate to act on gun safety. Representatives from the International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Fraternal Order of Police, Major Cities Chiefs Association, National Association of Black Law Enforcement Executives, National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, and International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators joined 21CP Solutions to discuss the need for meaningful action by Congress to address the country’s ongoing gun violence crisis.

The call comes as the country continues to reel from the recent mass shootings in Buffalo, Uvalde, Tulsa, and Philadelphia, and communities across the country continue to be devastated by acts of gun violence every day.

The following are remarks made by President Patrick Ogden at the event:

Members of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (or IACLEA), from around the world, watched in horror as recent events in Texas, New York, Pennsylvania and too many others have unfolded.

Every day there seems to be another act of mass violence. And while these are not new problems, we need fresh solutions, along with enforcing safety protocols that we already have in place.

The status quo is no longer acceptable. We must do all that we can to ensure children do not continue to fall victim to gun violence.  

IACLEA members know all too well how gun violence can tear apart communities. We have seen this in incidents spanning decades from the University of Texas-Austin tower shooting to this year at Bridgewater College in Virginia, where Campus Police Officer John Painter and Campus Safety Officer J.J. Jefferson were murdered while protecting their community. Their sacrifice, like the many who have fallen in the line of duty, must never be forgotten! 

Gun violence is a complex issue, and too often in society we try to oversimply complex problems.

There is no one answer to solve the issue of gun violence in the U.S.

Restricting access to certain types of guns—without also increasing access to mental health care and keeping weapons out of the hands of dangerous individuals—will not solve the problem.

We need common sense laws that solve real problems.

To truly tackle the issue of gun violence in the U.S., we need a multifaceted approach that addresses this problem as a public health crisis.

We encourage our elected representatives to look to college and university campuses as models in considering how to handle gun violence prevention.  

From our behavioral and threat assessment teams—to policies on firearms and to the use of technology to include mass emergency notification procedures—higher education has learned many lessons born out of tragedy, about the necessity of being able to connect the dots to prevent incidents involving gun violence.  

IACLEA strongly urges Congress and the President to act on addressing gun violence. Doing nothing is costing the lives of our children, families, friends, and those who are on the front lines defending our freedoms.  

For the past 64 years, the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators has been the largest association representing the campus police and public safety community. IACLEA represents over 1,100 institutions and over 7,700 individual members in 20 countries.

Our members are charged with protecting over 30 million students, faculty, and staff, who live, learn, and work in campus communities around the world.

As the leading authority for campus public safety, IACLEA, stands united with law enforcement agencies and associations, as well as public safety officials and our government partners in addressing this critical issue.    

To watch a recording of this event, click here.



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