Dear John,

The news we received this week was unprecedented. New FBI data shows the number of background checks processed in April were up 25 percent compared to April 2019. This uptick follows the largest surge of background checks ever, with 3.7 million initiated in March.

Before the pandemic, 4.6 million children lived in homes with access to an unlocked or unsupervised gun. Now, with more guns in homes, it's more vital than ever that we practice safe firearm storage.

That’s why we urgently need our legislators to pass the Prevent Family Fire Act!
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The Prevent Family Fire Act is a common-sense bill to promote the safe storage of firearms. We’ve been championing this bipartisan legislation for months now. And we need to make it law if we want to prevent unintentional deaths while more kids are at home and in closer proximity to guns.

[www.bradyunited.org/act/prevent-family-fire-act]

The Prevent Family Fire Act would provide retailers with a tax credit to encourage them to market and sell safe storage devices. It incentivizes retailers to maintain a broader stock of safe storage devices and to promote the most secure devices.

Right now, we need to do everything we can to prevent unintentional gun deaths and injuries — and that means passing the bipartisan Prevent Family Fire Act.

URGE YOUR REP. TO ACT! [[link removed]]



We’re Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Million Mom March

Twenty years ago this Mother’s Day, Donna Dees-Thomases sparked a grassroots movement of mothers [[link removed]] to mobilize against gun violence with the goal of creating a safer America for all. On Mother’s Day 2000, nearly a million marchers across the country joined the second largest protest against gun violence in American history.

One year later in 2001, the Million Mom March and its 236 grassroots chapters merged with Brady, and many of the Million Mom March’s leaders went on to help create the backbone of Brady’s grassroots chapters. To this day, our grassroots chapters continue to thrive, thanks to the foundation laid by the Million Mom March!

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Million Mom March and the women behind it, share this image on Facebook.
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We Hosted a Virtual Mother’s Day Event for Moms and Survivors in Baltimore

Every year, the Baltimore-based Tears of a Mother’s Cry has hosted a Mother’s Day brunch for mothers and families impacted by gun violence. Mothers unite to share stories about their lost loved ones and call attention to everyday gun violence. We teamed up with Tears of a Mother’s Cry, Rep. Lucy McBath, and Team ENOUGH’s Tatiana Washington to continue this tradition virtually. Watch our archived video of this uplifting, yet sobering discussion from Baltimore mothers who have lost their children to gun violence.

WATCH NOW [[link removed]]



Brady Calls for Justice for Ahmaud Arbery

On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, was hunted down, shot, and murdered by two white men while he was out jogging. We join Arbery’s family and community in calling for #JusticeforAhmaud. [[link removed]] He should not have been shot and killed for exercising his right to live. The Second Amendment does not give Americans the right to decide that someone running through your neighborhood deserves to die. The predation of Black bodies, by armed citizens and our justice system, must end.

Read our Medium piece by Kelly Sampon, Brady’s Counsel of Constitutional Litigation and Racial Justice [[link removed]]

To further our calls for justice, Brady Legal's Kelly Sampson wrote a piece highlighting our nation’s century-long legacy of racism, lax gun access, and unequal justice — and how those factors have been ingrained into our society, furthering the dehumanization of Black people, like Ahmaud. We will continue following this case, and we won’t stop demanding justice on behalf of Ahmaud’s family.


Victory! California School Board Unanimously Passes Safe Firearm Storage Resolution

Thanks to Brady Ventura County and Brady San Fernando Valley , the school board of Conejo Valley Unified School District passed the Secure Home Firearm Storage Resolution! This lifesaving resolution mandates schools to provide information about safe firearms storage to parents. Information will be included in the school district’s handbook, and parents and students will sign and return their handbook, agreeing to abide by safe storage rules.

Every day, eight children and teens are unintentionally killed or injured by an improperly stored gun. This resolution will educate parents about their responsibility to store weapons safely.

Expert testimony was provided by Brady San Fernando Valley members Donna Finkelstein and Judith Katzburg, Susan Orfanos, Gracie Pekrul of March for Our Lives, and students Gus Gress, Jasen Cummings, Quinn Muscatel, and Alexis Valdez. Learn more about how Brady leaders are helping pass safe storage resolutions across the country!

READ NOW [[link removed]]



Brady Donor Spotlight: Kal Barson

“I applaud our northern neighbor for banning military-style assault weapons so quickly after the Nova Scotia mass shooting. Canada is joining New Zealand in bringing some sanity to gun ownership,” says Brady supporter Kal Barson.

“I became a Brady supporter because I was tired of seeing the horrendous toll gun violence takes on our country and the disgraceful cowardice of so many elected officials who won’t stand up to the treacherous NRA.” Kal supports reasonable and rational gun laws like universal background checks, closing the private sale loophole, and banning the purchase of assault weapons. Hoping our country has reached a tipping point, Kal believes there may be enough momentum to bring forward rational gun laws.

Want to learn more about Kal and how his military background influenced his views on banning assault weapons? Read more on our donor profile of the week! [[link removed]]


MUST-READ NEWS

FBI Gun Background Checks Remained High in April During Coronavirus Pandemic [[link removed]] , CNN

3 Charged After Family Dollar Security Guard Shot, Killed Over COVID-19 Face Mask Requirement [[link removed]] , Cox

Pandemic-fueled Surge in Gun Sales Overwhelms FBI Background Check System; Dealers Urged to Wait on Sales [[link removed]] , USA Today



GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION HERO

For our virtual Mother’s Day event with Tears of a Mother's Cry, [[link removed]] we featured six incredibly strong, resilient women who have channeled their pain and loss into helping others who have lost loved ones to gun violence. To showcase their selfless acts of kindness, we are featuring:

Millie Brown , founder of Tears of a Mother’s Cry, who has served over 1,000 mothers who are survivors of gun violence; Burnett McFadden lost three sons (Reginald, Randolph, and Linton) to gun violence over a period of six weeks; Giselle Morch's son, Jaycee, was killed in July 2017. He had received a football scholarship and attended a small school in New York. Tracy Coleman lost two children, Cordelle and Cornelius, both in January 2020. Rashieda Murray lost two sons, identical twins named Roderick and Romar. Ava Mackall’s son, David, a former college football player, was shot and killed outside of his home in broad daylight.

We are humbled to have created a space for grief and remembrance for these strong women and survivors. We will honor with action and continue our work to prevent gun violence so that no parent ever has to lose a child to this preventable epidemic. Learn more now. [[link removed]]

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Stand Your Ground” laws may sound neutral, but in a country that devalues Black life, these laws make it even easier to kill Black people with impunity."

— Kelly Sampson, Brady Counsel of Constitutional Litigation, Legal Alliance, and Racial Justice in Medium [[link removed]]




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Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
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