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I'm not doing this because I work for the Brady Campaign . . .

I'm doing this as someone who worked to get Gabby Giffords elected... someone who knew Gabe Zimmerman, her staffer who was killed last January... and as someone who understands all too well that it could have been you or me standing in front of that Safeway in Tucson.

Nearly a year later, my heart breaks to think of all the lives that were changed forever because it was way too easy for a disturbed man to get semi-automatic with a high-capacity assault clip.

I think of Gabe, who wanted to someday be a school teacher;

Of Dorwin Stoddard, who threw himself on top of his wife, Mavy, to protect her from gunfire;

Of Christina-Taylor Green, a 9 year-old whose dream was to some day be the first woman to play major league baseball;

And I'm determined to act so that no one else has to die in a senseless shooting spree like they did. So please — I ask you to mark this solemn anniversary by standing with the Brady Campaign once again.

I ask you to make a gift for those we lost, for those who survived and for all of us who understand that as long as our nation's weak gun laws make it easy for dangerous people to get deadly weapons, this kind of tragedy could happen again in any of our communities.

» Help support our efforts to reach out build coalitions

Diego Luna: "Indifference is a very dangerous thing; it's in our hands to do something."

Mexican film star Diego Luna (Milk, Frida, and the upcoming thriller, Contraband) recently visited the Brady Campaign offices when we hosted a meeting of the international campaign to Stop Gun Smuggling - an initiative coordinated in Mexico by Alianza Civica and Propuesta Civica, and in the United States by the Washington Office for Latin America (WOLA), the Latin America Working Group (LAWG), Global Exchange, and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence among others.

Distressed by the toll of gun violence on his fellow citizens, Diego Luna is supporting the Stop Gun Smuggling campaign which is asking the Obama administration to take specific actions that would help stop the illegal trafficking of arms between the United States and Mexico. These actions would not require the approval of Congress and include:

• Ordering dealers to report to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) the sale of multiple assault rifles to the same person over a period of five days.*
• Detaining and prohibiting the importation of assault weapons to the United States, because many of them are sent as contraband to Mexico.
• Increasing the regulatory capacity of the ATF in those regions of the United States that supply the weapons contraband to Mexico, especially in border states.

* Despite the August 3 lawsuit by the NRA to stop the implementation of the new regulation, the U.S. government has maintained its stance.

To join the Diego Luna and the rest of the Brady Campaign and Brady Center staff in closing the gun show loophole and the fight against gun violence, join our Facebook page and our Twitter news.

» Help support our internship program

If you ask any of the twelve interns working at Brady this summer why they are here, the most frequent response is to learn how a "no-brainer" like sensible guns laws is not a reality in our country.

Nathan Howell, a sociology student interning with Brady's Federal Legislation department, was once given the role of defending guns in a mock political debate at school. "It was so difficult," he said. "It just didn't make any sense to me."

"I always believed that the Constitution protects us because the Second Amendment is limited to militias," says Jeff Golimowski. "In law school I was incensed by the Supreme Court's decision on Heller and wanted to do something. Now here I am learning first-hand from attorneys who have fought in the trenches for years and who are truly brilliant — it has been an incredible experience."

A few, like Kelly Ward, have had firsthand experience of gun violence. Kelly lost a close high-school friend to suicide and has had a special interest in the issue ever since. "I also want to be a lawyer," said Kelly, "so working with the Brady Center's Legal Action Project was the perfect opportunity for me." Ryan MacDonald also lost a close family friend to gun violence after an attempted robbery. Ryan, who is considering a career in politics and is interning with Brady's Communications Department, says American gun policy is his main issue.

Brady Center intern Chris Peconga was looking for an internship that combined his interest in politics and law. "The best experience here is getting an insider's perspective," he noted.

For Justine Kohler, the issue is involving people her age. "My friends know very little about the issue", she said. "Younger people who become educated and more aware about gun violence become very supportive of attempts to deal with it. I wanted to get more involved so I can help motivate my generation." Jessica is interning with Brady's Mobilization Department.

Elana Greenberg used her internship to educate herself more thoroughly about the issue. As a student of criminal justice and psychology, she was enthusiastic about how much she learned this summer. "I was surprised to discover just how much is being done to prevent gun violence in America," she said. "It is very reassuring as I want to help make this country safer for everyone."

"For anyone who wants to be a litigator, this internship offers by far the best opportunity to get hands-on experience," noted Jeff, who is a law student at Georgetown University. The others agree. "Helping to research our argument opposing the intervention of the NRA in the Florida doctor law suit and then winning — yeah! — was such a great experience" said Sarah Piazza, who is interning with the Legal Action Project (LAP).

"The Brady staff makes us feel part of the organization and it is so inspiring to work with people who care so deeply about the issue," added Anu Mdan, another LAP intern. "We are very involved with the day-to-day work," agreed John Jordan and Kevin Cohen, who are interning with Brady's Research and Mobilization Departments respectively. "This is why interning with Brady has been such a valuable experience."

To join the interns and the rest of the Brady Campaign and Brady Center staff in closing the gun show loophole and the fight against gun violence, join our Facebook page and and urge your Representatives to take action.

» More about Internships and opportunities to work at Brady

I was a student at Virginia Tech when the shootings occurred there in April 2007. I lost a very dear friend that day which fuels my passion for keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people.

I couldn't believe it when I heard that the gun lobby was responding to the Tech shootings by pushing legislation to allow students and professors to carry guns on campuses. They said they were speaking for the survivors, but they weren't speaking for me. None of my friends at Tech thought having a gun would have helped that day.

I'm in graduate school in Austin, Texas today, and I turned my passion into action when the NRA tried to pass guns on campus legislation in the state. We passed resolutions through the Graduate Student Assembly, the University of Texas System Faculty Council and the Student Government in support of the existing ban on guns in campus buildings. We called our legislators. We organized a campus walkout and rally at the Capitol. And eventually the university itself also came out in opposition to the bill.

When the vote came up in the state legislature, our student movement won—defeating one of the most powerful political organizations in the country! I'm thrilled that we were able to push back against the gun lobby in Texas. If we can do it here, it's possible to fight the NRA and win anywhere.

» Take action to stop the gun lobby's push guns on campus

» Help support our internship program

It's because of weaknesses in our gun laws that our Brady interns got involved in the fight to end gun violence this semester. Simply put, they couldn't figure out why we still have gaping loopholes in our laws like the Gun Show Loophole which makes it possible for criminals and the mentally ill to buy weapons from private sellers at gun shows without any kind of background check.

For Brady's Messaging and Marketing Intern Gabby Hoehn-Saric, the reality of the gun show loophole hit close to home. Gabby's aunt was 24 years old when she was senselessly gunned down in the streets of Chicago by a paroled felon who should never have been able to have a gun. After the murder, many of Gabby's family members became activists for Brady and Chicago's Ceasefire. "My family's activism inspired me to join the Brady Campaign to fight to close the gun show loophole so that we can stop convicted criminals and the mentally ill from buying guns without background checks at gun shows."

For Katie Shay, a Legal Action Project intern, it was the rise in murders of police officers in Milwaukee, WI that sparked Katie's interest in gun laws. After getting involved with Stand Together, Milwaukee!, a group dedicated to confront gun violence in Milwaukee, Katie learned that a majority of the guns purchased to kill these police officers were bought from the same corrupt gun shop in a Milwaukee suburb. Now in Washington, DC, Katie is continuing her fight against gun violence. "I am happy to be part of the Legal Action Project, holding corrupt gun dealers accountable for their actions," Katie says.

Brady Campaign Marketing and Messaging Intern Katherine Duca grew up hearing of tragic events in the news such as the shootings at Columbine High School, Virginia Tech University, and Northern Illinois University. As she became more familiar with the details of these events, Katherine realized that these shootings could have been avoided with stronger gun laws. "Being an active part of the Brady Campaign has allowed me further insight into daily injustices of gun violence in our country and has helped increase my motivation to fight for common sense gun laws."

Legal Action Project Intern Tim Johnson, a current Georgetown Law student, joined the Brady Center for similar reasons. Tim explains, "Interning for the Legal Action project has shown me the importance of pro bono legal work as a way to assist victims injured by the negligence or intentional conduct of corrupt gun dealers." In the wake of the McDonald and Heller Supreme Court decisions has allowed Tim to take part in the ongoing debate over the Second Amendment.

To join the interns and the rest of the Brady Campaign and Brady Center staff in closing the gun show loophole and the fight against gun violence, join our Facebook page and urge your Senator to take action in closing the gun show loophole.

» More about Internships and opportunities to work at Brady

Republican Congressman Mike Castle from Delaware had to ask Chief Knight to repeat his statistic. "Since 1963 more Americans have died from gunfire than perished in combat in the whole of the 20th century."

Our country's war losses are staggering and devastating to our families, but when you hear that we lose 30,000 Americans every year to gun violence, it does make you stop and think … and ask the question again.

Chief Knight is head of the Chaska, Minnesota's police department and chair of the Firearms Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the largest association of law enforcement executives in the world.

On July 14, 2010, Chief Knight provided testimony on H.R 2324, the bill to close the gun show loophole, at the first-ever Congressional Forum on the gun show loophole. Brady activists and Virginia Tech victims pressed Representative Bobby Scott (VA), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Crime, to hold the Forum.

That's when Chief Knight's statistic about America's losses to gun violence struck disbelief among the Committee members and audience in the packed hearing room. "The loss of so many lives is senseless, but the solutions are obvious. The solid first step is to close the gun show loophole that allows the sale of guns on a cash and carry basis, with no identification required."

Chief Knight's fight for strict gun laws is not only professional. " It's personal," he says. "A few years ago, one of my officers was shot in the line of duty. And last May, another officer, an uncle to one of my sergeants, was ambushed, shot and killed."

Chief Knight actively speaks out for stronger gun laws every occasion he gets. In 2007, he joined other law enforcement at a Brady press conference urging Congress to repeal the Tiahrt provision that limits law enforcement's access to crime trace data that would help solve gun crimes. He also advocates for reporting of lost or stolen guns; safe storage of firearms and ammunition, especially around children; and limits on the kinds of guns and ammunition that can be purchased. "Military assault weapons and armor-piercing bullets do not belong on our streets. We're being outgunned. It's like law enforcement is in an arms race with criminals."

But Chief Knight also recognizes the challenge of moving legislators to side with law enforcement in enacting strict, life-saving gun laws. "We need partners in every community, we need elected officials in Congress and in state legislatures to stop catering to special interests and instead act in the public interest to reduce the terrible, and escalating, risk of gun violence in America."

The "open carry" movement burst on the scene in 2009 with a bravado and swagger that invited the media to cover their "meet-ups" at local restaurants. The movement's message: we want openly carried guns allowed for anyone, anywhere, at any time.

Karen Arntzen, Brady Campaign activist and part-time staff organizer, wasn't buying it.

"We had been hearing about open carry, but hadn't experienced it until right after Christmas," said Karen. "Our chapter members started calling managers of coffee shops and complaining. I called the corporate headquarters of Peet's Coffee & Tea and California Pizza Kitchen. It was a no-brainer for them to issue a no guns policy."

Starbucks resisted inquiries and dodged the issue by stating they didn't want to get involved. Karen organized chapters to push back, picketing at local Starbucks where the open carry groups were meeting.

In response, California Assembly Member Lori Saldaña introduced AB 1934 to ban openly carried firearms in California. The bill is a major priority of the California Brady Campaign Chapters. It passed in the Assembly in June. Now it moves on to the Senate.

Like many Brady Campaign activists, Karen was moved to do more to stop gun violence when the Million Mom March took place 10 years ago in Washington, DC. That Mother's Day, Karen marched with 5,000 others around Lake Merritt in Oakland.

"As a mother of three daughters, I was outraged at the Columbine High School and North Valley Jewish Community Center shootings, and the Million Mom March was an expression of those feelings."

After the march, Karen worked to establish the Contra Costa County Million Mom March/Brady Campaign Chapter, where she served as Co-President, and eventually was elected Vice President of the California Brady Campaign Chapters. In 2007, she was hired by the Brady Campaign to be the part-time Chapter Coordinator for the 20 California Brady Chapters.

"The California Brady Campaign Chapters are dedicated and highly experienced activists. Many of them have lost loved ones to gun violence. They are the real heroes, and will move mountains to help prevent gun violence from devastating other families."

To be a part of California's movement for sensible gun laws:

» Contact Karen at 1ofamillion@comcast.net

"I think the more we tell our stories, the more we give others the permission to tell theirs," says William Kellibrew, president and spokesman of the William Kellibrew Foundation. "That helps break the silence and moves people to act."

William has been moved to speak out and act because of his tragedy. William's mother and brother were shot in front of him when he was a young boy. The shooter turned to William, placing the gun to his head. William begged for his life and was let go. After a nearly three-hour standoff, police entered to find three bodies, including the killer's. The shooter was a convicted felon who had spent 11 years in prison, but illegally got his hands on a gun.

The William Kellibrew Foundation is dedicated to helping victims of gun violence and domestic violence find their voices and restore their lives. The Brady Campaign and Brady Center are honored to house the Foundation in its Washington, DC office.

The Foundation’s partnership with the Brady Campaign extends beyond shared office space. William’s speaking tours take him around the country, and at every stop, he helps to educate people about the Brady Campaign's legislative agenda to enact stronger gun laws.

William has told his story countless times – both here in the United States and abroad. He has been a guest on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," which has 40 million viewers across the globe. Just recently, he was the keynote speaker at an event sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime for National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.

Along with Brady President Paul Helmke, he joined a press event and rally after four young people were killed and five others injured, where they urged Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty to do more to stop gun violence. Ironically, at the same time D.C. activists were at the rally, U.S. Senators John McCain and Jon Tester offered legislation to gut all of D.C.’s gun laws. William and the Brady Campaign believe that it would be foolhardy to make it easier for dangerous people to get guns and will work to stop this dangerous legislation.

No matter how frequently he tells the story, it never gets easier to tell. William admits, "It's a treacherous story, and has been a long road to recovery. I have to live with it every day, but it's motivational for me and those who hear it. For those who can do it, using their story to channel grief to more positive actions is incredibly effective."

» Click for more information about the William Kellibrew Foundation

"We have a moral obligation to do what's right. That's what I've always told my children. You can never do wrong when you do what's right."

The sentiment of "doing right" is what drives Lori Haas to persist with legislators whose first inclination might not be to support common sense gun legislation. And the U.S. Senators from Virginia, where Lori lives, Jim Webb and Mark Warner are a special challenge. As of today, neither Senator has signed S. 832, the Senate bill to close the gun show loophole.

Lori has been pushing for common sense gun laws at the federal and state level since 2007, the year her daughter Emily, shot twice in the back of the head, survived the mass shootings at Virginia Tech. She often says: "By the grace of God and half an inch, Emily is alive and well."

In October 2007, six months after the Virginia Tech massacre, Lori came to Washington, DC along with other Virginia Tech families to stand with the Brady Campaign to lobby for U.S. Representative Carolyn McCarthy's bill to close the gun show loophole.

The families headed to Congressional offices to lobby their representatives. "We didn't have any appointments. It was very funny," remembers Lori. "Paul (Brady president Paul Helmke) couldn't believe that we would get to see any members of Congress without appointments. But we forged ahead, stopped at several offices, and knocked on doors. We made all the Congressional staff we met so nervous with our surprise visits."

And she is still at it. When asked what advice she might give to other advocates to keep pressing, she reflects on her own experience. "I do this for the families — the parents, siblings, and spouses — who can't physically or emotionally speak out. I, and other Virginia Tech families, know what happens when guns get into the wrong hands".

And she urges others to meet with and speak to — either call or e-mail — their legislators. "Citizens have the right to be heard and legislators have the obligation to listen to us, to consider what is important to us. They may not always agree, but I expect them to listen. And if they are people of conscience, if they are motivated by doing right — regardless of how difficult it might be or how alienating to special interests the decision is — they will never do wrong."

» To join Lori and others, click here to get active

"Gun violence prevention is not an issue for the faint hearted. If people are looking to make a difference, a big difference, there's not a bigger societal issue than gun violence," says Ralph Fascitelli.

Ralph is president of Washington Ceasefire, the statewide, Seattle-based citizen activist group dedicated to reducing gun violence in Washington State.

Members of Washington Ceasefire, Washington Million Mom March Chapters and the Brady Campaign are leading the charge in Seattle, Starbucks' hometown, to make the company's stores nation-wide gun free.

How did Washington Ceasefire get involved in this battle over gun-free coffee shops with Seattle's iconic coffee chain?

"When the open carry people started gathering in neighborhood Starbucks, their customers reached out to us, Heidi Yewman, Washington's Million Mom March Chapters president, and the national Brady Campaign. Starbucks' customers weren't comfortable with guns in their preferred hangout and asked us to give voice to their concerns."

Ralph is a former football and rugby player at Yale who started and ran a successful advertising and PR firm that he sold to J. Walter Thompson, a large global agency. "The Brady people are very PR savvy and my own background in this area has allowed our combined efforts to be effective in the Starbucks protests," Ralph admits. "I'm actually quite surprised how clumsily Starbucks has handled this. It's clear their customer demographics are not aligned with the open carry movement."

Ralph got involved with gun violence prevention after the Columbine shooting in 1999. He had two kids in school, one in junior high, and one in high school. "I identified with the parent of the victims. It was one of those "Oh Wow" moments. This is a BIG issue. A public health catastrophe and little is being done on it."

"I truly believe this is the most neglected, significant societal issue of our time. In Washington State, we've lost more people to gun violence in the past ten years than all U.S. combat deaths in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars combined. Gun deaths cost our state over a billion dollars every year, so everyone is affected. It's not just a gang issue, though many people like to think so."

Ralph urges everyone to get active and informed. "If you really want to make a difference, the issue of gun violence is where to get involved."

» Sign up to get involved in our activist network

» Get involved with your local chapter

A mixed metaphor, to be sure, but CREDO’s network of members and activists are not afraid to speak out and take action to help stop gun violence. Its network of long-distance and mobile phone members and credit card holders have long been active in helping to bring about change that makes our world a better — and safer — place to be.

“Our members regularly join forces with the Brady Campaign through activism, including most recently asking Starbucks to make their stores gun-free,’ says founding CREDO president, Michael Kieschnick.

This month, CREDO teamed up with the Brady Campaign and its California Brady Chapters to stop Starbucks from allowing guns in its stores. Radical gun enthusiasts had been parading into California restaurants and coffeehouses brazenly displaying handguns – and frightening customers, alarming police and thankfully, causing at least two restaurant chains, Peet’s Coffee & Tea and California Pizza Kitchen, to establish firm policies prohibiting firearms in their retail locations. Learn more...

But when we started urging Starbucks to adopt similar life-saving policies, the mega-coffee chain rebuffed our requests. Brady contacted its partners at CREDO to urge their members to sign a petition to Starbucks Chairman Howard Schulz. In just a few days, more than 25,000 petitions had been signed. Click here to add your name to our petition.

Last year, CREDO also joined with Brady on two key battles — opposing legislation to allow guns in national parks and wildlife refuges and urging the U.S. Senate to confirm Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

And as mentioned earlier, CREDO puts its money where its mouth is. One percent of every CREDO customer’s monthly phone charge, and 10 cents for every purchase with a Working Assets credit card, go to progressive nonprofits, like the Brady Center. Kieschnick is pleased with what CREDO and its members can do for organizations working for social change. "CREDO Mobile has raised over $65 million for progressive causes, including over $250,000 for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. And we're proud to give more than money."

In 2010, the Brady Center is again eligible to receive a portion of the donations raised from CREDO's members and customers. To cast your vote for donations to the Brady Center, please click here. The more votes, the more dollars, and the more lives we can work to save!

CREDO started out with a different orientation than most business. While most companies goes into business to make money, CREDO, then called Working Assets, went into business with a different sort of bottom line: make change.

Since then, with the help of members, activists and partners, like the Brady Center, they’ve been doing that — winning fair pay for all workers by successfully urging passage of the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act; getting Congress to expand the State Child Health Insurance Program to cover more kids; defeating attempts to pull Title X funding from reproductive healthcare clinics; and helping to pass the Omnibus Public Land Management Act, which now protects over 2 million acres of wilderness in nine states from logging and development – to name a few of its accomplishments in 2009.

The Brady Center is deeply grateful to our friends at CREDO/ Working Assets for its support of our campaigns to make our communities safe – and keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of dangerous people.

» Click here to add your voice to CREDO Action and help change the world

» Get involved with your local chapter

» Help Save Lives: Click here

“Raising Our Voices” is the name of recent fundraising events to benefit the Brady Campaign’s Million Mom March chapters in Duluth and the Twin Cities. The events' proceeds went to support an electronic activist network that coordinates the advocacy efforts of not only the Million Mom March chapters in the state, but also Citizens for a Safer Minnesota, and other state-based groups working to stop gun violence.

“When we are organized, we can do something,” says Joan Peterson, President of the Northland Chapter and the Million Mom March Chapters’ national representative to the Board of Directors of the Brady Campaign. Email activist campaigns have made all the difference in local advocates’ ability to build momentum to help pass strong gun laws – or defeat bad ones.

Minnesota’s gun violence prevention and other advocacy groups have pooled resources to pay for Democracy in Action, a web-based tool that makes possible an e-mail network and e-alerts to Congress. Joan admits that working together through the e-mail network “has made us stronger as a group. Since we are now using one state monthly e-mail and one state newsletter, we can call attention to issues as they come up in one voice.”

The fundraisers also helped cover the cost of Minnesota News Connection, a public radio program and news service. Joan and other advocates have helped shape MNC coverage of the gun violence issue. Joan was interviewed about the Fort Hood shootings recently. The story was picked up by local states and reached more than 700,000 listeners in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Fargo, North Dakota.

Minnesota’s united voices have also brought about major victories for common sense gun laws. This past summer, e-mail campaigns among the Minnesota groups helped put pressure on Senators Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar to vote against South Dakota Senator John Thune’s amendment on national concealed carry legislation. At a reception for the area’s nonprofit organizations attended by Senator Franken, Joan did a bee-line for the Senator and thanked him personally for his vote.

It has also made the difference in coordinating efforts quickly. The day that Todd Palin, husband of Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, showed up at a local gun store, Joan pulled together a group of protesters real fast through emails to multiple listservs.

“People came with signs. ‘Hunters for Obama’ were there, and then, it turned out so was National Rifle Association President Wayne Lapierre!” Joan did a television interview on the spot – with the rallied supporters behind her – and presented her contrasting view on the gun issue.

Joan witnessed the power of many voices when she went to Washington, DC in 2000 for the Million Mom March. “The march gave us a vehicle to talk about gun violence, to raise awareness about it.” Joan, whose sister was shot to death, recalls the T-shirts and signs commemorating loved ones. “There are a lot of us,” she remembers realizing that day. Joan met Mary Streufert, founding co-president of the Northland Chapter, at the march. Pictures of their loved ones were right next to each other.

The Northland Chapter is in Minnesota’s District 8, one of the Brady Campaign’s targeted districts to build long-term political support for common sense gun laws. The focus now is on H.R. 2324 and S. 843, the House and Senate bills to close the gun show loophole. Representative Jim Oberstar, a Democrat with a B+-rating from the NRA, holds the seat, and according to Joan’s conversations with him and his aides, the Congressman is open to learning more about legislative solutions to gun violence. Joan knows that the voices of victims and “gun guys” can be especially effective.

“We make sure they hear from victims and gun owners in the district. We’ve also forged relationships with our Mayors in Duluth, Minneapolis, and St Paul, as well as with law enforcement. And we let our legislators hear from us – from gun violence prevention groups and from other area organizations. We let them know that all of us are watching them and holding them accountable.”

To unite your voice urging Congress to close the gun show loophole:

» Click here to email your U.S. Representative

» Help Save Lives: Click here

Mindy Finkelstein was in the right place at the right time – playing capture the flag on a sunny morning with five and six year old campers at the North Valley Jewish Community Center’s summer camp. On their way to the arts and crafts, though, it all went wrong.

That’s when Mindy was shot … along with three campers … by a self-proclaimed new-Nazi, out on parole and clinically insane. He got his weapon, a semi-automatic weapon, at a gun show.

“In an instant my campers went from running across the back grassy field to asking me if I had paint all over me. It was blood,” Mindy remembers. “It has been ten years and I can still remember every detail of that day and the feelings I had as a result.”

Mindy’s shooter was out on parole from the state of Washington. He crossed the state line into California, and he was criminally insane. He even tried to lock himself in a mental hospital and was denied entrance. He was so ill that, from what Mindy was told, the Aryan Nation kicked him out for being “a threat to their cause.” Yet, he was able to walk into a gun show and legally purchase his murder weapon.

“My opinion on gun legislation is simple,” Mindy explains. “It’s narrowed down to common sense and personal safety.

“Everyone makes the comparison that you have to have a license to drive a car but not to own a gun. For me it’s even less complicated than that. A car’s sole intent is to help get people from place to place. A sole purpose of a gun is to kill. So, making it harder to get a gun should be obvious.” Her shooter took advantage of the loophole in the sale of guns at gun shows. Private sellers at gun shows are not required to conduct Brady background checks on purchasers. “Bufford Furrow bought the gun he used against me without a background check or waiting period.”

Mindy became involved with the Brady Campaign after she spoke to nearly a million people at the Million Mom March in 2000. The tenth anniversary of the March is next year. Mindy works with the San Fernando Chapter of the Brady Campaign, and recently organized the Victory over Violence 5K and 10K walk-a-thons to benefit the local Women against Gun Violence group. And she is a frequent speaker for schools, churches and congregrations, and civic groups, speaking out about gun violence and for common sense gun laws.

“At a recent Brady event, I met the father of one of the Virginia Tech victims who told me that I have a responsibility to speak for his daughter so that she could also lend her silenced voice to the cause. This is a responsibility that I don’t take lightly… and never will. I can’t bring back or replace the victims of gun violence in any way but what I can do is use my face and voice to show the truth behind gun violence. That’s why I continue to work with Brady to strengthen our country’s gun laws – especially to close the gun show loophole that threatened the life of me and my campers’ – and today still puts our communities at risk.”

» Click here to email your U.S. Representative to close the gun show loophole