John, on behalf of everyone here at Brady, thank you.
Because of you, we reached our end-of-year goal and are starting 2020 right where we need to be – on track to meet our goal to reduce gun violence by 25% in the next five years.
But this new year started with a somber reminder of the challenge ahead. On New Year’s Day alone, there were 177 gun deaths in America. That includes 132 gun suicides and three mass shootings.
In Cleveland, a man was firing off rounds to celebrate the New Year when he unintentionally shot and killed his girlfriend. In Houston, 61-year-old Philippa Ashford was killed by a stray bullet as she and her family stood in their driveway shortly after midnight.
For these victims, the turn of the decade will forever mean the pain and anguish of losing a loved one – all because of senseless violence caused by easy access to guns. Their stories serve as an important reminder for all of us: This epidemic isn’t contained to mass shootings and violent crimes – unintentional deaths and self-harm are also part of the problem, and we must address them.
That’s why we need you on our team more than ever, John. Without you, we cannot take ambitious action on the gun violence epidemic. So we need you with us to keep battling the gun lobby in the courts. We need you with us to keep electing gun safety champions. We need you with us to help keep guns away from those who intend to harm themselves or others.
We need you with us in order to reduce gun violence 25% by 2025.
You are the reason we can run Brady programs. You are the reason we can keep fighting the NRA. You are the reason we can combat gun violence and save lives.
Now let’s get out there, seize this new year, and keep working as hard as we can to end gun violence in our lifetimes – together.
It’s in our hands,
Kris Brown
President, Brady