John,
This week marked two years since the massacre at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California, when a gunman used an assault weapon to kill three people and shoot and injured 17 others. The tragedy was just the start of a string of deadly mass shootings.
A week later, 23 people were murdered and 23 more were injured at a Walmart in El Paso, TX, and nine were shot and killed and 27 were injured at a local bar in Dayton, OH, with assault-style rifles.
We remember the stories of parents at the Gilroy Garlic Festival using their bodies to shield their children from gunfire, young people recounting the ricocheting bullets that whizzed past their faces, and entire communities devastated by preventable gun violence. In all three shootings, 67 people were injured and 37 others were brutally murdered, including children as young as 6 years old.
Yet two years later, life-saving legislation to prevent gun violence continues to gather dust in the Senate. Meanwhile, senators are preparing to head home for summer recess next week.
Enough is enough. Every day that senators delay passing the bipartisan solutions before them, another 300 people in America are shot and 100 people are killed with guns. Not to mention the dramatic spike in gun violence we’ve seen over the summer months...
The only way we will create a safer America is if we demand action. Congress must know this fight is urgent. Let’s get to work.
In solidarity,
Team Brady
Brady Legal Joins Landmark Lawsuit on Behalf of the Victims and Survivors of the 2019 Gilroy Garlic Festival Shooting
This week, Brady Legal joined a lawsuit on behalf of 12 victims and families of the 2019 Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting. In 2019, a gunman used an assault-style rifle to shoot and kill three people, including Stephen Romero (age 6), Keyla Salazar (age 13), Trevor Deon Irby (age 25), and injure 17 others.
Represented by Scarlett Law Group and Brady Legal, survivors and their families are suing the gunmaker, Century Arms LLC, for their reckless and unlawful marketing and selling of the type of assault-style rifle used during the shooting. We know that the deliberate use of irresponsible marketing and negligent sales practices leads to deadly consequences. In this case, it was at the expense of children as young as six years old.
Brady Legal is proud to fight for justice and hold the gun industry accountable. The courage and bravery of the survivors and families is inspiring us to prevent future tragedies. Together, we will save lives.
URGENT: Help Us Regulate Lethal Ghost Guns BEFORE August 19!
We're running out of time to show support for President Biden's rule to combat and regulate untraceable ghost guns — and we need your help! To little surprise, the NRA and its allies are flooding the government website with misinformation, acting as if ghost guns aren’t the fastest growing public safety threat in America. But we know the truth: Ghost guns are real guns. Ghost guns end real lives.
Ghost guns are easy to assemble, designed to prevent tracking by law enforcement, and don't require a background check — that’s why they've become a weapon of choice for prohibited purchasers. But we can change that. President Biden’s proposed rule will treat ghost guns like the real guns that we know they are. Please, join us in submitting a comment to the ATF today — it takes less than 30 seconds — to support the rule to regulate ghost guns. Let's push back on the NRA and regulate these weapons now.
🎧 Episode 141: The Loaded History of the Second Amendment
Many trace the history of the Second Amendment back to the Revolutionary War and the creation of the U.S. Constitution. But even before the Constitution was written, European settlers looking to colonize America used firearms to kill Native Americans and steal land. Was this the true beginning of gun violence? And how did this genocide lead to the “right to bear arms?” We speak with Dr. Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, an acclaimed historian and author of "Loaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment.”
Opinion: California’s Ban on Assault Style Weapons Has Worked. It’s Constitutional and Common Sense, The San Diego Union Tribune
American Families in 'Pain' as Gun Violence Spikes, Fox 59
Lawsuit Representing Victims of Gilroy Garlic Festival Shooting Goes After Gun Manufacturer, KTVU Fox
Gun-Maker Offers Sandy Hook Families $33 Million. Here's What They May Be Considering, NPR
Brady Applauds Historic Funding for Gun Violence Prevention in Minibus Appropriations Bill, Brady
Gun violence survivors and advocates Nick and Amanda Wilcox are Brady’s gun violence prevention heroes of the week for their tireless work saving lives. We wish both Nick and Amanda the best as they retire to Colorado after serving Brady California for nearly 20 years.
Over the past two decades, California's strong gun laws have led to a 57% decrease in firearm deaths — four times the decrease seen in the rest of America. These laws have saved countless lives, and it couldn't have been accomplished without Amanda and Nick Wilcox, our fearless leaders of Brady California.
Nick and Amanda’s major accomplishments in passing gun violence prevention laws in California didn’t come easy or as planned. In 2001, their daughter, Laura Wilcox, was one of three people shot and killed in the Nevada County Department of Behavioral Health. She was only 19 years old and loved dancing, music, and her service work.
Since Laura was killed, Amanda and Nick have channelled their pain and grief into action, working tirelessly to shepherd more than 100 bills to prevent gun violence into law, including legislation in their daughter’s name — Laura's Law. (Their work was so impactful that even the NRA asked when they would retire!) Amanda also led not one, but TWO Brady chapters — one that she founded herself, all while serving as the Chair of Legislation and Policy at Brady California. In 2020, she was honored by the entire California General Assembly for her tireless work to prevent gun violence:
Nick and Amanda (center) being recognized by the California General Assembly.
Amanda and Nick will have an everlasting impact on California’s laws, communities, and the lives of those who live there. Their extraordinary leadership has inspired so many, including us at Brady National. Thank you, Amanda and Nick — you are truly gun violence prevention heroes each day of the week.
“My granddaughter, Jaime Guttenberg, was murdered in the Parkland, Florida, school shooting. My son, Fred, was privileged to join you at the White House when you announced executive actions on gun violence. But the shootings continue. I am currently battling an aggressive cancer but it is my hope and prayer that I will see you sign gun safety legislation before I am gone. What more will you do to push the Senate to pass gun safety legislation?”
This was the question that our friend Fred Guttenberg's mother submitted to ask President Biden at the CNN Town Hall last week. While she didn’t get to ask her question, her powerful message hits home for all of us working for change: If we know what needs to be done to save lives, why does our country’s gun violence epidemic persist, day after day and year after year?
As the summertime gun violence continues, it can be easy to lose hope. But Friend, know that you’re not alone. Remember that while the path is long, the progress we’ve made together has saved lives and pushed our nation’s laws forward. If you've been feeling lost about what more you can do to push gun safety forward, here are three different places to start!
Thank you, John, for staying up-to-date on Brady's work across Congress, courts, and communities. Our work is not possible without grassroots donors like you. Will you consider donating to continue our life-saving work today? Thank you for being a Brady supporter and joining us in the fight to prevent gun violence.
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Thank you for supporting Brady and our work to prevent gun violence and save lives. We rely heavily on the generosity of activists like you to fund our work to create a safer America. If you're in this fight, please join Brady today by making a gift.