Dear friend,

Today, December 5th, 2023, marks 20 years since my mom was murdered and my life changed forever.

20 years is a long time – a long time without my mom, a long time of trying to figure out the next right thing to do. I’ll always be searching for the next right thing, but now, after two decades, I find myself in a place where I am doing all that I can, working at Brady, to stop the next senseless tragedy and another person’s life from changing forever for the worst reason.

So I’ve set a goal for today, the hardest day I’ve faced in a while: I want to raise $20,000 for Brady to honor my mom’s memory and mark 20 years since her murder. Will you donate any amount you can today to support our lifesaving work?

On December 5th, 2003, my mom answered the door to our home and was shot and killed by a gunman who should’ve never been able to access firearms and yet, would go on to kill more people after my mom in the decade that passed before he was caught.

I was only 26 when I lost my best friend to gun violence. It changed me and my family entirely and I struggled for a long time to find my new direction. While I built beautiful and stable parts of a life, it was only after the man who killed my mom was finally convicted of her murder that I would find the strength and clarity to start on the path to where I am now in this movement.

The next step came a few years later when, in honor of what would have been my mom’s 70th birthday, I ran 26 miles and raised $30,000 for an organization called Brady. Running had always felt right, and then I was running for something, to change the circumstances that had inexorably changed me. Soon, I found myself driven to keep fighting to save lives and stop the next person from losing their best friend.

Now, I lead at Brady, alongside other gun violence survivors and dedicated, passionate advocates. The work I do to change the country for the better, to create a better future for my kids, is not easy – sometimes it's actually the hardest thing I do in a day – but I know it's making a difference. It doesn't take away my pain, but it does add more good to the world – and when we work together, that good can soon overcome the violence and the tragedy. I’ve witnessed the impact of our cumulative small actions over the years and know that we are getting ever closer to a country free of the scourge of gun violence. We've seen consequential change happen in the last few years, but there is still far more that must be done to end gun violence in our nation.

My mom was never waiting for someone else to make a change, to do the work. In the front hallway of our home, where my mom was found murdered, there were also the bags of clothes that she'd collected from neighbors to donate during the holidays. Doing the work for her family and for her community was who she was and it's one of the many parts of her that I let guide me still today.

There are no words to encompass how hard this day or the ones leading up to it have been, but I am holding my mom’s memory and her dedication to changing the world close to my heart and asking you to join me in working toward change, too: Will you help me raise $20,000 today in honor of my mom?

Thank you for taking action today and every day in this fight. I know that I am surrounded by support in this movement and it makes all the difference.

With sincere gratitude,

Liz Dunning
Gun Violence Survivor
Chief Development & Engagement Officer

Friends, thank you for supporting Brady.

'Brady is committed to defeating the NRA, electing gun safety champions and passing common-sense bipartisan legislation – but we need your help.'

If you're in this fight to create a better, safer country for future generations, join Brady today by making a gift.

Brady
840 First Street, NE
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20002
United States

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