GOOD AFTERNOON John,

In order to share the good work the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) and Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence (Ed Fund) have been doing, we are sending out a monthly update with articles and press featuring our staff. We want to remind you that the best way to stay up-to-date is to visit www.csgv.org and www.efsgv.org as well as follow us on social media including Facebook and Twitter.

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twitter.com/CSGV

As usual, don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or ideas. Thank you for your continued support.


Best,

Josh Horwitz
Executive Director

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STATEMENTS / PRESS RELEASES

Extreme Risk Protection Order Passes Final Hurdle; Heads to Governor Northam's Desk ([link removed])
(February 27, 2020) "Today, Virginia became the 19th state in the nation to pass an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) law. This life-saving tool has been proven to prevent firearm suicide and has shown great promise at preventing mass shootings...Today has been a long time coming, but our hard work has finally paid off. When this legislation takes effect, Virginia families and law enforcement will have a tool with which to save lives."

Virginia Senate Punts on Assault Weapons Ban ([link removed])
(February 17, 2020) "Virginia voted for change in November. That change included addressing weapons that have become the guns and accessories of choice for mass shooters around the nation -- in schools, theaters, churches, concerts, and municipal buildings. Last week, we saw a Virginia House of Delegates, led by Speaker Filler-Corn, show the courage to address these weapons of war head-on. This morning, however, in the Virginia Senate Committee on Judiciary, that type of courage was nowhere to be found."

2018 CDC Data Report ([link removed])
(February 13, 2020) "A new report from the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence, Gun Violence in America: An Analysis of 2018 CDC Data ([link removed]), reveals that 39,740 people died from gun violence in 2018, including 24,432 by suicide and 13,958 by homicide. Notably, for the first time, the number of firearm suicide deaths in a year exceeded 24,000 -- more than twice the number of alcohol-impaired driving deaths in 2018. On average, this amounts to 67 people dying by firearm suicide every day -- more than the deadliest mass shooting in American history. Overall, the number of gun deaths remained relatively steady from 2017 to 2018, with 33 fewer deaths in 2018 compared to 2017 -- the highest year on record. This comprehensive report delves into newly released data to illustrate the fatal toll of the gun violence epidemic in America."

Virginia Assault Weapons Ban House Passage ([link removed])
(February 11, 2020) "Thank you to Delegate Levine, Chairman Hope, and all the members of the House of Delegates for bringing up and passing this essential piece of gun violence prevention legislation. The voters understand that these types of weapons have no place on the streets of Virginia -- and that they must be regulated. We applaud the bravery and determination of all the delegates who worked so hard to get this bill passed. We look forward to the same type of courage and thoughtful discussion as this legislation moves over to the Senate."

Virginia Assault Weapons Ban ([link removed])
(February 7, 2020) "Today, the Virginia House Public Safety Committee passed HB 961, prohibiting the sale of assault weapons, high capacity magazines, silencers, and bump stocks...The committee understands that these types of weapons have no place on the streets of Virginia -- and that they must be regulated. Semi-automatic assault weapons are designed to maximize lethality; they are intended to kill as many human beings as possible as quickly as possible. Perpetrators of mass shootings often use these types of weapons coupled with high-capacity magazines, which increase lethality by giving the shooter more firepower without having to reload...Last summer, 12 Virginians were killed in a municipal building in Virginia Beach by a gunman who had access to these deadly accessories. This legislation is the first step towards getting these weapons of war off the streets of Virginia."


BLOGS / OP-EDS

The Truth About Gun Violence: Three Facts You Need to Know ([link removed]), CSGV featured in Medium
The numbers don't lie. Gun violence remains our national shame. This month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data related to firearm deaths. The numbers were heartbreaking -- nearly 40,000 Americans died by gun violence in 2018 -- but unfortunately, they were not surprising. Despite a minimal decrease in overall firearm deaths from 2017, gun violence continues to take an enormous toll on our society. In a new analysis of the 2018 data, our affiliate, The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence, released Gun Violence in America: An Analysis of 2018 CDC Data ([link removed]).


MEDIA MENTIONS

For Virginia Tech parents, new gun laws a long struggle ([link removed]), Associated Press
Lori Haas and Andrew Goddard started pressing lawmakers to enact new gun laws shortly after a gunman killed 32 people and wounded more than a dozen others at Virginia Tech in 2007. Their children were in French class together and were both shot but survived. Haas and Goddard have been Virginia's most visible gun-control lobbyists for years, but until recently had little to show for their work. Now they are helping to shepherd through the most substantive new gun laws the state has ever passed. When a House committee recently advanced a series of gun bills that in past years had failed with little discussion, Goddard said it felt overwhelming.
Haas and Goddard have lawmakers' full attention and hardly a day has gone by without some kind of gun control measure advancing in either chamber. Haas in particular has emerged as one of the most influential and persistent lobbyists on gun issues and is often at the side of top aides to Gov. Ralph Northam when lobbying lawmakers on specific bills and amendments. "She has been, for more than a decade, relentless, respectful, tough," said U.S. Sen. Mark Warner.


'Media Malpractice:' Las Vegas Mass Shooting Largely Ignored During Democratic Debate ([link removed]), Huffpost
Andrew Patrick, a spokesman for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, echoed Watts' frustration. "It just seems unbelievable that you're in the city of the deadliest mass shooting in American history that happened in this president's term, and it was not even brought up by the moderators," Patrick said. "It's just disappointing to see this not be treated like the life and death issue that it is."

Virginia Governor's Bill To Ban Assault Weapons Fails, With Help From His Own Party ([link removed]), NPR
"Gun rights groups said it would make thousands of law-abiding Virginians felons overnight. But gun control advocates including Lori Haas with The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence say it would reduce the death toll in mass shootings," Whittney Evans of VPM in Richmond reports. Haas told Evans, "It's absolutely ridiculous that Democrats walked back on this issue when it got them the majority in November."

Sanctuary counties: Inside Virginia's gun rights resistance ([link removed]), BBC News
One inevitable outcome of a massive show of force is intimidation. The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence cancelled its own annual Richmond vigil, which had been due to take place directly after the rally, citing safety concerns and pointing out that many of its volunteers and staff were survivors of gun violence. And it is possible that terrible violence was only averted because the FBI arrested three members of a neo-Nazi group who were, allegedly, planning to travel to the rally and open fire into the crowd, in the hope of kickstarting a race war.

Beyond the bullet: Guns Down Movement sparks conversation in Norfolk ([link removed]), WKTR
Kayla Hicks, a member of the panel and National Director for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, says, "[Gun violence] is the number one cause of death for black males under the age of 55, and that defines it as a public health issue....There are more conversations that we have beyond gun violence because this conversation is beyond the bullet," Hicks says.

Capitol Hill Briefings Debunk Myth Linking Gun Violence to Mental Illness ([link removed]), Mad in America
Josh Horwitz, director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) which develops and advocates for evidence-based solutions to reduce gun injury and death, admitted that he had once believed in the link between mental illness diagnosis and mass shootings. After bringing together experts who showed him the data, he now feels that the idea of mental illness causing mass shootings or violence in general is "just completely wrong," adding: "I've had to change my thinking about it after about 23 years of doing this." Horwitz explained that gun violence is complex and multifactorial, encompassing interpersonal and intimate partner violence, suicide, police violence, and accidental deaths. Therefore, there is no one cure. As far as policymaking at his organization, Horwitz no longer gives the mental illness link any credence. "I don't spend any time on that," he said.
From an epidemiological perspective, Horwitz noted that if there are nearly 45 million people in America diagnosed with a mental illness in any given year, the likelihood that any one person in this group would use a gun to commit a homicide is extremely small. "Thinking about screening 45 million people for things that they are not a risk for is a gigantic waste of resources," Horwitz said. "When we think about stopping gun violence, focusing on people who are less likely to be violent makes zero sense, and it's also incredibly stigmatizing." "What we need to do is focus on the real risks of gun violence," he added. Known risk factors unrelated to psychiatric diagnosis or disability include alcohol or drug misuse; a prior history of violence; being male and young; and a recent relational, social, work or financial loss.

Assault firearms ban passes House committee ([link removed]), The Northern Virginia Daily
The state director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Lori Haas, issued a statement on Friday praising the committee on moving the bill forward.
"Semi-automatic assault weapons are designed to maximize lethality; they are intended to kill as many human beings as possible as quickly as possible. Perpetrators of mass shootings often use these types of weapons coupled with high-capacity magazines, which increase lethality by giving the shooter more firepower without having to reload," Haas said in her statement. "Last summer, 12 Virginians were killed in a municipal building in Virginia Beach by a gunman who had access to these deadly accessories. This legislation is the first step towards getting these weapons of war off the streets of Virginia."


Gun Control is Passing, so What About the Assault Weapons Ban? ([link removed]), WVTV Virginia Public Radio
Speaking after a recent meeting of the House Firearms sub-committee, Lori Haas of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, says assault weapons have no place in Virginia. "They're people killers. They were designed to kill as many people in as short amount of time as possible. They're unacceptable in the hands of civilians."


As States Pass Red Flag Laws, Police Have To Figure Out How To Safely Implement Them ([link removed]), KUNC
Adelyn Allchin is the Senior Director of Public Health and Policy for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, which promotes gun regulations and advocates for ERPO laws nationwide. She says that it's not uncommon for states to skimp on providing resources for the agencies that will actually be pursuing the protective order enforcement.
"We absolutely need funding for training for law enforcement for Extreme Risk Protection Order policy implementation," Allchin said. Allchin has helped police and sheriff's departments across the country decipher the specifics of new ERPO laws, which vary from state to state. "They have a lot of questions about processes and who's responsible for what," Allchin said. "A lot of very logistical questions." The most successful implementation of ERPO laws, Allchin says, requires collaboration. She points to the work done in Seattle after voters passed an ERPO law in 2016. Law enforcement, prosecutors and advocates all came to the table to work out the best way to serve gun seizure warrants in their community.


PRESENTATIONS / SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

On February 24th, Director of State Affairs Jen Pauliukonis guest lectured for an Injury Prevention seminar at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Jen spoke to graduate students about the importance of advocacy in public health in her presentation, Translation and Advocacy: Turning Evidence into Action for Gun Violence Prevention.

Gun Violence in America / Here All Along, AMERICAN DIAGNOSIS with Dr. Celine Gounder podcast ([link removed])
Black and brown communities have borne the brunt of gun violence for decades. But when it comes to the national debate about gun safety or gun violence prevention, their efforts have largely been overlooked. Now that new constituencies have come to the table, how do we make sure POC don't just have a seat, but a real voice? Guests: Kayla Hicks, Director of African-American & Community Outreach for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV); Reverend Jeffrey Brown, Baptist minister and President of Rebuilding Every Community Around Peace (RECAP); Anthony Smith, Executive Director of Cities United; and AU Hogan, Associate Director and Chief of Streets for Life Camp.


FUNDRAISERS

FEST FOR BEATLES FANS Returns To Jersey City, Broadway World ([link removed])
Through its charity raffles and charity auctions, The Fest has raised over $615,000.00 over the years for John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Spirit Foundation and The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, and other organizations since 1974. We are grateful to Yoko as she has been a generous supporter of The Fest for 39 years, donating items for the Spirit Foundation raffles and auction. Buy tickets for the festival here ([link removed]).


LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

New Mexico now has an extreme risk law! New Mexico's ERPO was signed into law on Wednesday, February 26, bringing the total number of states with extreme risk laws to 18 and DC.

Extreme risk laws may be going international: Ottawa Safety Minister Bill Blair recently announced plans ([link removed]) to enact an ERPO law. The proposed legislation would allow doctors, police, lawyers, educators, and family members to seek a court order to temporarily remove firearms from persons at elevated risk of suicide or interpersonal violence.
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