The County of San Diego’s leading gun violence reduction champion, County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, is bringing together experts, community members and elected officials to discuss actions San Diego has taken to address gun violence; and what else needs to happen to save lives and keep the neighborhood safe. Supervisor Lawson-Remer is hosting her “Gun Violence Reduction Summit” on Friday, September 29, 2023 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. and it will feature a keynote address from California Attorney General Rob Bonta and four panels. The Summit will take place in the Board of Supervisor Chambers on the Third Floor of the County Administration Center, 1600 Pacific Hwy., San Diego CA 92101, before a live audience. It is open to the public, but RSVP is required because seating is limited. If people are unable to attend, they can stream the Summit via a Zoom Webinar. Both the RSVP and streaming option can be found at linktr.ee/SupLawsonRemer. The panels and participants are as follows: Panel 1 - Suicide Prevention: Highlighting strategies, particularly those targeted at our veterans, to address gun-related suicides. Participants will include: Dr. Eric Rafla-Yuan, MD, 988 Technical Advisor, California’s Office of Emergency Services Dr. Luke Bergmann, Director, County of San Diego Behavioral Health Dr. Heidi Kraft Ph.D., Chief Clinical Officer, PsychArmor Panel 2 - Community-Driven Peace Work: Delving into the underlying causes of violence within our communities and discussing proactive solutions. Participants will include: Monica Montgomery-Steppe, City Council President Pro-tem, City of San Diego Bishop Cornelius Bowser, Founder, Shaphat Outreach Panel 3 - Protecting Children: Exploring measures to ensure the safety of our youth and prevent gun violence in educational and community settings. Participants will include: Therese Hymer, Legislation and Advocacy Team Lead, San Diegans for Gun Violence Prevention Colleen Creighton, Director of End Family Fire, Brady United April Laster, Founder and CEO, Open Heart Leaders Catherine Blakespear, Senator, State of California Panel 4 - Holding the Firearms Industry Accountable: Exploring legal approaches to effectively tackle the issue of gun violence Participants will include: Ari Frelich, Director, California Office of Gun Violence Prevention Marni von Wilpert, Councilmember, City of San Diego Mara W. Elliot, City Attorney, City of San Diego Chris Ward, Assemblymember, State of California Videos from Congressman Mike Levin and Congresswoman Sara Jacobs will also be played during the Summit. Supervisor Lawson-Remer has listened to gun violence prevention advocates about their concerns and ideas; and worked with the community to take action by: making ghost guns illegal in San Diego County, training County social workers to know the signs of potential gun violence in a home, requiring all firearms in unincorporated areas to be safely stored with a trigger lock, or using a container, and Authorizing the County law department to join and pursue lawsuits against gun manufacturers. To learn more, visit www.SupervisorTerraLawsonRemer.com