Tonight's Forum at the Ridgefield Library: CT Gun Laws

TONIGHT the Ridgefield Democratic Town Committee is Presenting a Free Non-Partisan Forum:

CT's Gun Laws: Too Strict or Not Strict Enough?
Thursday, October 9
7:30 p.m. Dayton Room, Ridgefield Library

Citizens with an interest in participating in the dialogue about the role of responsible guns laws, school safety, gun rights and community concerns are invited to attend a free, non-partisan public forum, CT's Gun Laws: Too Strict or Not Strict Enough? to be held Thursday,  October 9, 7:30 p.m., in the Dayton Room of the Ridgefield Public Library, Ridgefield. Refreshments will be served.

The forum will feature Connecticut's Attorney General, George Jepsen as the keynote speaker. Panelists include Dr. William Begg, Emergency Medicine, as well as Captain Jeff Kreitz of the Ridgefield Police Department. The moderator for the forum will be First Selectman, Rudy Marconi.

Participation in the dialogue, via written questions provided to the moderator, will be encouraged.

Reservations are encouraged, but not required. Please email communications@ridgefielddems.org to indicate your interest in attending.

Participants:

Attorney General Jepsen took office as Connecticut's 24th Attorney General in January 2011. As Attorney General, Jepsen — a former legislator, State Senate majority leader, Democratic State Party Chairman, and private practitioner — serves as Connecticut's chief legal officer and counsel to all state agencies. He is responsible for all civil law enforcement, representing the people of Connecticut and the broader public interest. In his many years of public service, Jepsen is best known for his advocacy on behalf of consumers, civil rights, the environment, and a fair and competitive business climate. As Attorney General, he has been active on national issues, working with the Department of Justice and other state attorneys general on such matters as data privacy, the $25 billion national mortgage foreclosure settlement, and holding the financial community accountable for the 2008 financial crisis.

Jepsen graduated from Dartmouth College, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa. He later earned his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where he worked as a teaching fellow in Constitutional law, and simultaneously earned a Master's Degree in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Jepsen currently serves as co-chair of the National Association of Attorneys General Standing Committee on Antitrust and was recently elected as NAAG's Eastern Region chairman.

Dr. William Begg, United Physicians of Newtown, is an Emergency Medicine Physician who trained at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Begg was the treating physician at Danbury Hospital ER on December 14, 2012, during the Sandy Hook School tragedy. He testified before the US Senate in February 2013 concerning the public health issue of gun violence.

He has been a keynote speaker for the American Academy of Emergency Physicians Scientific Assembly (2014), and has lectured at the Harvard Medical School on the subject of gun violence as a public health issue. He has appeared on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Piers Morgan Live, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell as well as other national news outlets.

Captain Jeff Kreitz is the Public Information Officer of the Ridgefield Police Department. Born and raised here, he has a degree in justice and law administration from WestConn. A valued member of the police department, Captain Kreitz has been a patrol officer, a sergeant and a captain with the Ridgefield Police Department. He has received commendations from the Police Chief, as well as numerous letters of appreciation from the public for his service.

About the Event:

This free, non-partisan forum is part of a series called, Advancing the Dialogue, which is a "town hall" initiative whereby the most important issues of our day are discussed at the grassroots level.