 | John, George Floyd’s life was brutally taken by a member of law enforcement who kneeled on his neck as three other law enforcement officers stood by and allowed it to happen. Breonna Taylor was murdered as police with a no-knock warrant conducted a raid on the wrong apartment and fired more than 20 rounds, striking Breonna eight times. Sickeningly, horrors like these happen over and over to people of color while law enforcement officials, politicians, and people in power look away. They are not the only ones who have looked away. Within the gun violence prevention movement, we are seeing and entering into conversations that are very difficult. We need to bring forth a new way of imagining what peace looks like. The marches, the organizing allows for next steps. We cannot go backward, as a predominately white gun violence prevention group we will continue to listen and work to support community groups. It is time for a reckoning, in our hearts, and in this movement. We urge you to have difficult conversations, ask yourself the tough questions, dig a little deeper. And then take action. You can start by contacting Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron to demand police accountability for Breonna Taylor’s murder. And we ask you to explore and support the work of some of the organizations listed below. There are many paths to justice, and there will be no going back. Clai Lasher-Sommers
Executive Director | | | | Beyond Minnesota: Using This Moment to Take a Stand For Justice The death of George Floyd was not an anomaly. It was one more death of a Person of Color in an endless stream of deaths; deaths by gunfire, deaths by police brutality, deaths by Covid-19, deaths by lack of access to health care, childcare, paid leave, education, opportunity. All of us who work in gun violence prevention are de facto bound up in combating these injustices. We cannot do the work of gun violence prevention without acknowledging those who are regularly impacted by it and those who work endlessly to interrupt violence and pursue justice. If you are one of those people, may the rest of us pledge to stand with you as you lead us in this work. | | | Stand For Justice Now by... Some National Organizations Doing Racial Justice Work: Black Lives Matter has chapters throughout the country. Find a local chapter here The Community Justice Action Fund is a national organization that works at the intersection of race and gun violence. NAACP has chapters throughout the country. Find a local chapter by Googling “NAACP” and the name of your state. Showing Up for Racial Justice moves white folks into accountable action as part of a multi-racial movement.” Find a local chapter here.
Support Local Groups in the Twin Cities Area: Black Visions Collective believes in healing and transformative justice, including a future where all Black people have autonomy. Communities United Against Police Brutality is a Twin-cities based organization that was created to deal with police brutality on an ongoing basis. Reclaim the Block is calling on everyone to demand Minneapolis invest in real safety solutions like violence prevention, housing, and resources that prioritize marginalized communities. Sign their petition here. | | | | | | | | The Threat of Ghost Guns Once just considered a novelty, ghost guns are proving to be a significant threat to public safety and a substantial impediment for law enforcement agencies and officers. Ghost guns, which are made from kits or printed on 3D printers, can be assembled by nearly anyone, including people who are legally prohibited from owning firearms. As they do not have serial numbers they cannot be traced, and many of them are undetectable by traditional metal detectors. Gun trafficking rings nationwide are already peddling ghost guns, and these deadly homemade weapons have recently been used in numerous shootings. 60 Minutes aired a must-see segment on ghost guns, and there is an activity in the US Senate, where Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and 15 Senate Democrats are sponsoring
a bill that would help regulate the purchase, sale, and traceability of ghost guns. Several states are taking the fight against ghost guns to their own statehouses, and States United to Prevent Gun Violence is helping to support and amplify these efforts: Several states are taking the fight against ghost guns to their own statehouses, and
States United to Prevent Gun Violence is helping to support and amplify these efforts: | | | - Our Rhode Island affiliate RICAGV has been working with legislators in their state to keep two Ghost Gun Bills HB 7102 Sub A and SB 2004 Sub B a priority.
- Stop Handgun Violence (MA) produced this powerful PSA.
- In 2019 Connecticut Against Gun Violence helped pass a suite of gun violence prevention laws, including a strong ghost gun law.
- In 2018, New Jersey passed a sweeping bill outlawing ghost guns, and state legislators further strengthened that bill in 2019.
- California, New York, and Washington state also have laws that regulate untraceable and/or undetectable guns.
| | | | | | | | Gun Buying Frenzy: Facts and Fallout The Trace reported on April 2nd that the number of background checks for gun sales reached an all-time high in March of this year, surging 12% beyond the last high set in 2015. While background checks serve as a proxy for gun sales, the numbers can only provide a basis for estimates since only one background check is conducted for each sale, no matter the number of guns being sold. Small Arms Analytics, a firm that tracks gun sales, estimates from the background check data that 2,600,000 guns were sold in March of this year. Stores in many states are staying open in spite of orders to close, further endangering employees, consumers, and the general public by encouraging the spread of the virus. As some store owners openly flaunt public health measures, the NRA and other organizations have been mobilizing to bring lawsuits against states that have ordered gun shops to temporarily close. The NRA has also been ramping up the rhetoric driving gun sales by stoking people’s fear of the release of non-violent offenders from prison, and of non-existent “gun confiscation during declared. | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
