Gun Violence Prevention Advocate, 

Dan’s story speaks to the core of the things we care deeply about in life: community, faith, and feeling safe in our neighborhoods. 

On October 27, 2018 he gathered with his regular Torah study group. It quickly became clear it wasn’t a normal day because he was at Tree of Life. And a murderer walked in with an assault weapon.

Reflecting on the shooting, Dan said “I came as close to death as a person can come."

Dan’s story is important for the public and elected officials to hear. And thanks to a generous Pittsburgh foundation any gift today up to $25,000 will be matched dollar for dollar to help Deadly By Design stories reach 50,000 people in 2024.

Will you consider giving a special end of year gift of  $50 to help us reach our goal? 

Our mission is to do more than just give survivors a voice. Our Deadly by Design video project directly points to the gaps in our safety system that caused these tragedies. 

At the end of the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in American history and the most lethal mass killing in modern Pennsylvania history, 11 had been shot fatally and six had been wounded. A community was shattered.

AR-15’s are designed to kill as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. And Dan Leger found himself on the receiving end of bullets fired from this high-powered rifle. He barely survived and his life will never be the same.

It happened so quickly because of military style assault weapons that have been used again and again to take lives at schools in Uvalde, bowling alleys in Lewiston and a church in Charleston. 

For a decade, these kinds of military-style weapons were banned nationally. And, if that law was still in place, these mass shootings may have never have happened. The system is deadlier by design, and we saw this play out in the Squirrel Hill shooting.

Help us continue to connect the dots for voters, council members, and legislators. Let’s make it so obvious that they cannot ignore it any longer.

Gratefully,
Adam Garber 
Executive Director 
CeaseFirePA

P.S. You can still give to our special end of year matching challenge! Give today to double your impact.