John–

My niece, Sarah, was beaming when she got home from her first day of
kindergarten. It should have been a joyful day. But an hour later,
desperately angry over missing his daughter's first day of kindergarten,
my brother-in-law shot and killed Sarah, her two little sisters Rachel and
April, and their mother — my sister-in-law — Laura.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Every day in the twenty-four
years that have passed since Sarah and her family were killed, I've worked
to keep their memories alive. I've done that by joining my fellow
survivors and imploring Congress to get to work by passing background
checks on all gun sales and a strong red flag law. I've fought against a
system that disregards the reality of gun violence as a preventable public
health issue, especially for the most vulnerable among us. I've stood up
to the gun lobby in their efforts to profit off of lies.

I've done these things so that no other aunt or uncle or grandparent or
parent has to choose a coffin — or coffins — as a result of gun violence.

[ [link removed] ]Send a message to your senators and tell them that we need life-saving
gun safety legislation now. No more excuses. No more delays.

This story has become America's story. Research tells us that 54% of mass
murders stem from domestic and family violence. And in an average year,
over 600 women are fatally shot by a partner. Every day, women across the
country take appropriate steps to protect themselves and their families;
however, too often this ends in tragedy because they are undermined by lax
gun laws.

And yet, the Senate has still failed to act. Even though the House passed
gun safety legislation over 200 days ago, the Senate continues to proceed
as if it needs a permission slip from the President. This delay in action
means that more people will be shot and killed, and more people like my
family members will die at the hands of domestic abusers who shouldn't
have a gun in the first place. [ [link removed] ]Contact your Senators today and demand
background checks on all gun sales and a strong red flag law.

Laura, Sarah, Rachel, and April are always on my heart and mind and,
today, I hope you will honor them in yours.

May we gather our collective grief, fear, and anger and become an
unstoppable force requiring our government to act to end gun violence. We
can do this together. [ [link removed] ]Demand action today.

Dr. Doreen Dodgen-Magee
Survivor Fellow
Everytown for Gun Safety

P.S. If you are a survivor of gun violence or have a loved one who has
been wounded or killed by gun violence, [ [link removed] ]you can share your story on our
Moments That Survive Memory Wall with the stories of other survivors of
gun violence.


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