This past week was personal for me, John.
Last Saturday, a white supremacist drove 200 miles to target a predominantly Black neighborhood in my hometown of Buffalo, NY. The shooter killed ten people and injured three others while they shopped for groceries. A week later, I find myself thinking of what my community was like before this hate-filled attack.
Jefferson Ave, where the shooting took place, is the hub of Black Buffalo. As a kid, my grandparents lived and owned a store there. My family also knew the retired police officer who worked at Tops as a security guard and was killed in the shooting. To be honest, I never thought gun violence would impact my community. Yet the sad reality that I’ve accepted this week is that my community will never be the same; this hate-filled attack will last a lifetime.
My name is Jennifer Tinch, a program manager at Brady, and while I’m filled with anger and pain, I’m here to tell you this: It doesn’t have to be this way.
We need not live in a nation that is plagued by gun violence every single day; we need not live in a nation where citizens are gunned down in broad daylight. What we do deserve is to live in a nation where our lawmakers prioritize our public safety to help prevent senseless gun violence — and that’s why I’m reaching out to you today, John.
Right now, we have the chance to pass legislation to strengthen and expand our background check system. The House passed this legislation OVER a year ago. But the U.S. Senate has allowed it to languish ever since. After this past week, we simply cannot wait any longer. Please — for my community of Buffalo, NY, and your own hometown — urge your senators to pass legislation to strengthen and expand Brady Background Checks — eliminating the filibuster if necessary.
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Thank you from the bottom of my heart, John, for honoring the lives lost in Buffalo with action. I know that with you on our side, we will make this the safer nation that we all deserve.
Thank you,
Jennifer Tinch
Brady Program Manager
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URGENT: Tell the U.S. Senate to Confirm President Biden’s Nomination for ATF Director!
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Brady Illinois Helps BAN Ghost Guns
Homemade, untraceable “ghost guns” have proliferated throughout Illinois and cities like Chicago, contributing to the alarming rate of trafficked firearms into Black and Brown communities. Prohibited purchasers buy and spread ghost guns because they’re extremely easy to access: a Brady Background Check is NOT required to buy one.
But this week, after months of advocacy, Brady Illinois Lead Delphine Cherry joined Gov. Pritzker as he signed a bill to ban ghost guns into law!
Now, Illinois has effectively banned the parts and kits used to assemble these deadly weapons — and we couldn’t have done this work without you. Together, we drove over 150 messages to key lawmakers to support this bill. We also thank Rep. Buckner, Sen. Collins, Rep. Welch, and Gov. Pritzker for their bold leadership.
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RSVP for the 2022 Brady Action Awards!
We’re less than ONE MONTH away from the 2022 Brady Action Awards. Have you RSVP’d yet? Together, we will honor champions of gun violence prevention whose activism embodies the spirit and legacy of our namesakes, Jim and Sarah Brady.
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Looking Back at Episode 97: White Supremacy, "The Great Replacement," and Gun Violence
Last weekend there were three separate instances of racist, hate-based gun violence in Dallas, TX, Laguna Woods, CA, and Buffalo, NY. Sadly, this violent extremism isn’t new, nor is its ties to gun violence. In this episode of Red, Blue, and Brady we discuss some of the white supremacist conspiracies that drive this racially motivated violence and what can be done to combat such extremism.
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Our grassroots team formed a new chapter in Buffalo, NY, days before the mass shooting at Tops Supermarket. Following the hate-filled attack that took place there, we would like to recognize Mia Ayers-Goss, our chapter leader, for her love, support, and dedication to her community.
Gun violence is personal for Mia; her daughter was nearly shot and killed and her son was shot and injured in two separate incidents. Additionally, as part of her work at the Most Valuable Parents of Buffalo, Mia has prioritized gun violence prevention in her community for years. So, this past week, Mia jumped right into action, hosting a healing circle for community members — and she has plans to do the same for employees of the Tops Supermarket.
She’s also spoken on radio and television, helping bring national and local attention to gun violence. We thank Mia for using her personal story, experience, and voice to help her community heal — and for that, she is our Gun Violence Prevention Hero of the Week! Our life-saving work at Brady is made possible by dedicated grassroots leaders like Mia.
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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.
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