Former Republican Congressman Joe Walsh from Illinois is a firm gun rights advocate. Fred Guttenberg is a well-known gun safety activist whose 14-year-old daughter Jaime was killed in the 2018 Parkland school shooting. For a while, the two men fought and insulted each other over social media and on television.
However, things changed between them about three years ago when they took their conversations offline and finally spoke in-person. Privately, they began to engage in meaningful and respectful discussions. The two men eventually found common ground and became friends despite some of their opposing viewpoints.
In February, the pair kicked off their speaking tour, “Two Dads Defending Democracy.” Through their tour, Walsh and Guttenberg are demonstrating how people from opposite ends of the political spectrum can find common ground on contentious issues such as gun safety. For the next seven months, they are speaking at college campuses all around the country, modeling how to overcome polarization through civil discourse.
The most recent stop on their tour was the Lund Auditorium at Dominican University in River Forest, where they spoke in front of more than 200 people at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 9.
The event marked the return of Growing Community Media’s Conversations series. Previous guests have included Peter Sagal of “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me,” Democratic strategist David Axelrod, filmmaker Steve James, and broadcast executive Candi Carter. Tuesday’s discussion was moderated by Sheila Solomon, an award-winning former newspaper reporter and editor who serves on the board of Growing Community Media.
Despite the different opinions that Walsh and Guttenberg often have, they both adamantly agree about the need to defend democracy.
During the event, Walsh said that most Americans want nothing to do with people with different viewpoints than their own and that our country is dangerously divided.
“They don’t want to speak with people who they disagree with. They don’t want to understand why that person thinks that way,” he said. “This isn’t about Trump versus Biden. In my head and my heart, that is not what this is. This is about the American people who have stopped doing their job of tolerating people who disagree with them.”
Guttenberg agreed with that sentiment and stressed the significant role that civil discourse could play in helping solve America’s gun violence problem.
“The only way we’re going to solve it is by figuring out a way to talk to one another about how we can reduce the gun violence death rate and instances of gun violence in this country,” he said.
Both Guttenberg and Walsh support the re-election of President Biden and Guttenberg emphasized the importance of voting in November.
“We have seven months until the election,” Guttenberg said. “Don’t be like me. Don’t learn what it is to lose what you love the most. And don’t wait until one day when you have to say ‘could I have done more?’ All I’m asking all of you to do is vote.”
When asked to elaborate, Guttenberg noted that during President Biden’s time in office, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was passed, a new Director of The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was appointed, and the first White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention was established.
“So, if you want the work that has begun these past four years to reduce gun violence to continue, you better vote,” he said. “It brought us to this place. Voting will matter again in 2024. You need to vote.”
One attendee who said she enjoyed the talk was Highland Park resident Allison Shaewitz, who works in political advocacy and has been a gun violence prevention activist for the past decade.
Shaewitz said she is focused on advocating for “real, tangible legislation that could make a big difference and save lives.”
“Nobody can disagree with the fact that ultimately we just want to save lives,” Shaewitz said. “We want our children and our grandchildren and our children’s children to be safe and feel like they can go to school, go to malls, go to movie theaters, go to concerts and parades without fear of being shot.”
One of the events sponsors was the League of Women Voters of Oak Park and River Forest. Jane Hastings, who serves as president of the organization, said they are non-partisan and desperately believe in democracy and the importance of civil discourse.
“If we can’t talk through our differences, where are we going to be?” she said.
GCM plans to host several Conversations throughout the year.
