The Denison University Lecture Series presents gun control activist Michael Beard, the founder and president of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, the largest gun control organization in the United States, to discuss "Shooting Straight on Guns: How the Gun Lobby's Distortions are Destroying Public Safety." This convocation, set for 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday (April 6) in the lecture hall of the Burton D. Morgan Center (room 115), is free and open to the public.

Beard is a graduate of American University's School of Government and Public Administration and School of International Service. The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence was established in 1974 and is composed of religious, educational and public interest organizations as well as concerned individuals. It represents more than 100,000 people nationwide with a primary objective to ban private possession of handguns and assault weapons.

As a lobbyist for the Coalition, Beard has testified before the United States Senate and House of Representatives as well as various state legislatures and city councils and has appeared on numerous national and local radio and television programs. Beard has been profiled inBeacham's Guide to Key Lobbyistsas well as being listed in Marquis' Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World. In 1987, he was selected as one of the heroes in the Washington D.C. Public Schools' Writing and Publishing Project "Looking for Heroes."

Beard also has served in executive positions for The Committee for Congressional Reform, Self-Determination for DC and World Federalist Youth USA. He also has held positions on the legislative staffs of two members of Congress and volunteered in the office of Senator John F. Kennedy.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

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Director, Media Relations

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stambaughb@denison.edu

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(740) 587-8575