Centofanti Symposium presents Thomas Gabor and Fred Guttenberg

Thomas Gabor and Fred Guttenberg, co-authors of “American Carnage: Shattering the Myths that Fuel Gun Violence,” will present Youngstown State University’s Centofanti Symposium, 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 20 in Stambaugh Auditorium.

In American Carnage, criminologist Gabor, author on several books on gun violence and Guttenberg, who lost his beloved daughter Jaime in the 2018 Parkland school shooting, dismantle myths and slogans such as “Guns don’t kill, people do,” “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun” and “Gun violence is just a problem in the inner cities.” Gabor and Guttenberg ask readers to explore myth-busting facts in their book and take action toward a safer America.

Thomas Gabor is president of Thomas Gabor LLC, a criminal justice consulting firm based in Florida. Gabor served as a professor of Criminology at the University of Ottawa, Canada from 1981-2011. He holds a doctorate from The Ohio State University and received the American Society of Criminology’s Gene Carte Prize for his research on Crime Displacement.

Aside from his academic work, Gabor served as a consultant to many international and national organizations. He has provided advice to the United Nations, Lord Cullen’s Inquiry on firearms policy in the United Kingdom, the Department of Justice Canada and various organizations. He has testified in front of the House of Commons Justice Committee and the Canadian Senate and served as an expert witness in a number of criminal and occupational safety cases.

Fred Guttenberg began speaking publicly after the murder of his 14-year-old daughter, Jaime, in the Parkland school shooting on Feb. 14, 2018. The day after the murder, there was a public vigil held in Parkland where the mayor asked him to speak and he has not stopped since.

Gutenberg’s brother Michael passed away in October 2017 from cancer related to his service on 9/11. Michael was one of the original first responders at the World Trade Center with a team of doctors who got trapped in the building as it collapsed. Fortunately, the room Michael and the doctors hid in did not collapse and Michael and the tram of physicians spent 16 days at ground zero taking care of others.

Following these tragedies, Guttenberg has traveled the country talking about perspective, perseverance and resilience. He discusses pivotal moments in life and how we respond to those moments.

Gutenberg and his wife began a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to Jaime’s life called “Orange Ribbons for Jaime,” and Guttenberg created a 501(c)(4) called “Orange Ribbons for Gun Safety.”

Tickets for the Centofanti Symposium are free and available beginning Monday, Jan. 29 on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information call 330-941-2136.