Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, December 3, 1993 TAG: 9312030143
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
The program, "Kid With a Gun. Call 911," encourages people to call police when they see any juvenile carrying a handgun. The cities of Richmond and Newport News and the counties of Henrico and Hanover are included in the pilot program.
"The rising tide of juvenile violence is overwhelming," Col. Carl R. Baker, superintendent of the Virginia State Police, told law-enforcement and school authorities gathered in Richmond to begin the program.
Last year, 1,449 juveniles were arrested for violating firearms regulations in Virginia, according to figures from the Criminal Justice Research Center. Of those arrests, 38 involved murders by juveniles with handguns.
The figures also show that juveniles account for 14 percent of all murders in Virginia.
Randolph Rollins, secretary of public safety, said handgun violence by juveniles is the fastest growing and most serious crime problem in the state.
"Kids and guns in any combination are dangerous and volatile," he said.
To help promote the program, bumper stickers and posters carrying the "Kid With a Gun" slogan will be placed in schools and recreation centers in the participating counties. Television commercials and radio public service announcements also will help the public become aware of the program, said Lindsay Dorrier, director of the Department of Criminal Justice Services.
One 30-second commercial shows a boy walking upstairs to his bedroom while his mother calls to him from another room.
The commercial is narrated by a man who calmly describes the scene and ends by saying, "Johnny has something we didn't have when we were kids. Johnny's got a gun."
by CNB