February is always painfully difficult for my family.
This coming Monday, we would have celebrated my sister Carmen’s 21st birthday with loved ones. Yet four years ago this week, just days before her 17th birthday, my sister was gunned down in Parkland, Florida.
My name is Robert Schentrup and my younger sister, Carmen Schentrup, was one of the 17 victims of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. |
My sister Carmen as a kid. |
I often think about all the life Carmen had yet to live and everything she would have accomplished — she was a great student, a talented ice-skater, and wanted to become a medical scientist. To this day, John, it’s hard to express the heartbreak that followed Carmen’s murder. I remember feeling an overwhelming loss, like a part of me had been ripped away. Carmen was gone forever and my family and I would never be the same — all because a weapon of war got into the hands of someone who should never have had one.
You see, John, the gunman used an assault-style rifle, coupled with a high-capacity magazine, to inflict the most bloodshed in the shortest time possible. And I’m here to tell you this: No family should ever have to endure the pain of losing a loved one in such a horrific and public way as what happened in Parkland.
It’s for this very reason that I started working with Brady and Team ENOUGH in the aftermath of my sister’s death. I knew I had to do something to honor Carmen’s life and memory. For me, that meant fighting to pass common-sense gun reforms like expanding Brady Background Checks and banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. And yet, Congress has failed to pass legislation — even when meaningful solutions have been introduced — in large part because of the filibuster. We need to put an end to Congress playing politics with our lives — and I hope you’ll help me, John.
In honor of what should be Carmen’s 21st birthday, will you urge Congress to end the filibuster so that life-saving gun violence prevention legislation can be passed? Gun violence in America is a national emergency and the filibuster is literally killing us. |
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Thank you for honoring Carmen’s life with action. With you on our side, John, we can help prevent other families from feeling the pain and grief my family continues to experience. In solidarity,
Robert Schentrup
Team ENOUGH Manager
Carmen’s brother |
Episode 172: How the Gun Industry Radicalized America |
This week, we're joined by Ryan Busse, an avid hunter and former executive for firearms manufacturer, Kimber America. Busse left the business he once loved after becoming disillusioned with the industry's response to gun violence. Together we discuss his new book, "Gunfight: My Battle Against the Industry that Radicalized America," and how the gun industry abandoned traditional gun owners in favor of dangerous rhetoric, fear mongering, and cultural division.
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As part of Black History Month, we’re recognizing the work and contributions of Black leaders in the gun violence prevention movement. We are excited to recognize and honor Team ENOUGH’s Aalayah Eastmond as the Gun Violence Prevention Hero of the Week! |
Four years ago this week, Aayalah Eastmond was a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, when her life changed forever. Within minutes, a gunman stormed into the school with an assault-style rifle, killing 17 students and staff and injuring 17 others.
In the wake of this tragedy, Aalayah joined Team ENOUGH, Brady’s youth-led initiative, to help ensure no one experiences the terror she did at MSD. As an Executive Council member, Aalayah guides and shapes Team ENOUGH’s work to mobilize and educate young people to end gun violence.
Over the years, Aalayah has testified before Congress; been on the frontlines of racial justice protests following the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor; rallied thousands at local and national marches — all while pursuing a degree at Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C. Just this week, Aalayah and other youth leaders organized a vigil in Washington, D.C, convening survivors and graduates of MSD to honor the 17 victims and survivors of the shooting.
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Words cannot express how grateful we are to work alongside Aalayah. She is truly leading the way as part of the generation that will end gun violence in America. Please join us in recognizing Aalayah and her contributions to gun violence prevention and saving lives: |
“This is an important settlement and the latest powerful message to the gun industry that if it does not clean up its act and stop contributing to gun violence, it will be held accountable in the courts. Brady has fought in the courts for decades to hold the gun industry accountable for its role in fueling gun violence, including suing the manufacturer of the assault weapon used in a mass shooting almost 30 years ago, and we are proud to have provided advice and counsel to the Sandy Hook lawyers throughout this case, including filing amicus briefs in support of the plaintiffs.
Despite the special protections that Congress and some states have unjustly provided to the gun industry, victims of gun violence can bring cases against the gun industry and win to create accountability and stop the violence that kills over 100 people every day in our country.”
— Jon Lowy, Chief Counsel and Vice President of Brady Legal |
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. |
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