WASHINGTON–LAWFUEL – The Law Newswire –Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, will speak at a National Press Club luncheon on Tuesday, May 1, on “Gun Violence: What Are We Going to do About It?”
Helmke, the former three-term Republican mayor of Fort Wayne, Ind., will discuss the political climate for changing gun laws in the aftermath of the killings at Virginia Tech University.
The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence and its legislative and grassroots affiliate, the Brady Campaign and its network of Million Mom March Chapters, is the nation’s largest, non-partisan, grassroots organization advocating measures to prevent gun violence.
Helmke took the helm of the organization in July 2006 after a career in politics and law in Fort Wayne, Ind. During his tenure as mayor, he served as the president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. He was among several Republican mayors of medium- and large-size cities who lobbied for the ban on assault weapons, requiring child-safety locks on guns and other restrictions.
As a teen-ager, two of Helmke’s closest friends were involved in an accidental, near-fatal shooting. That memory, as well as the assassinations of the 1960s, has influenced the strong stand he has taken on gun violence.
The National Press Club luncheon will begin promptly at 12:30 p.m. Remarks will begin at 1 p.m. followed by a question-and-answer session. Reservations can be made by calling (202) 662-7501 or email reservations@press.org. Cost of the luncheon is $16 for National Press Club members, $28 for guests of Club members and $35 for general admission.
The National Press Club is located at 14th and F Streets NW, two blocks from Metro Center subway station.
