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Abby Spangler: Founder of Protest Easy Guns

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You often hear stories of how one person can start a nationwide movement. Abby Spangler, founder of ProtestEasyGuns.com, is one of those people. Like most of the nation, Ms. Spangler reacted with sadness upon hearing of the tragic deaths at Virginia Tech on a quiet Monday in April 2007. By Wednesday, she was outraged.

She was outraged that someone could murder 32 people with a gun that took less than three minutes to purchase. She had, in a word, enough.

“First we had Columbine, and then the DC Snipers that paralyzed an entire city, and then those five little Amish girls were brutally murdered. When is it going to stop?” asked Spangler in a recent telephone interview. “So that Thursday morning after Virginia Tech, I sent an email to all of my friends saying, ‘I want 32 people to lie down for three minutes in front of the [Alexandria, Virginia] courthouse on Sunday.”

Within hours, she had her 32. On Sunday, dressed all in black- and with Virginia Tech ribbons around their necks- these 32 people quietly laid down to protest America’s weak gun laws.

Here was a mother of two young children who had been so consumed with outrage that for five days, it was all she could think about. She felt that she had to do something, and she did. Then- after the courthouse protest- people began to approach Abby asking what more they could do. Her voice of outrage was triggering others into action. She knew that this was only the beginning.

“Seventy percent of Americans believe in tighter gun laws, but why aren’t we being heard by our government?” Spangler asked herself. Then, a thought came to her- maybe it’s because Americans don’t know where to begin. So, she created a protest that was so super-simple that “even a mother with young, active children like me can do it.” She created her “Protest in a Box” as a tool to help motivate others to protest. And it worked.

“This was my ‘Hail Mary Pass’ to Americans to help motivate them to do something about lax gun laws and gun violence.”

When asked what Americans can do, her reply was simple. “HOLD A PROTEST! Every issue in America has its activists, and we can be the activists against gun violence. We need to tell our officials that we need and we want tighter gun restrictions. It is way too easy to purchase a gun.”

» Click here to email your U.S. Representative to close the gun show loophole
Time Square lie inDemonstrators lie in Times Square to protest easy guns
Brady Interns: Class of Summer 2009

After pitching in all summer, they now are urging friends and families to Become a Brady fan on Facebook. The interns are joining campus-based efforts, such as Students for Gun Free Schools, which worked with Brady activists and allies to defeat guns on campus legislation in eleven states this year. And each has been active in meeting with their own members of Congress this summer to discuss sensible gun violence prevention legislation – including urging their Senators to vote against national concealed carry legislation.

What drew the interns to Brady? The startling facts about gun violence. Guns kill more than 32 individuals every day in the United States, but in cities like Philadelphia where Michael, an intern for Brady’s Legal Action Project, calls home, more than 300 gun deaths occur in a year. “At a certain point,” he says, “Enough is enough.” He plans to practice law immediately after school and assist Brady through pro bono work.

Growing up, the interns lived through the country’s most violent shootings in schools and on college campuses. Even in light of the incidents of gun violence they’ve witnessed, they recognize how difficult it is to move political leaders to act. Peter, a college student in Georgia and another Legal Action Project intern, acknowledged, “I thought we had a much easier task in front of us. Much of the violence can be prevented . . . but recently Congress has been unwilling to do that. I now understand how hard Brady and its activists have to work simply to enact sensible gun laws.”

Astrid, a graduate student in law and public health, has a similar view. “I thought that law makers were more in tune with public sentiment on gun control. I am acutely aware of the uphill battle facing Brady and other gun violence prevention groups, and I am, frankly, baffled by how legislators let themselves be bullied by the NRA and fail to stop the gun lobby’s dangerous bills.”

Anne, an intern with Brady’s research department, admits that she did not know much about the country’s gun laws before starting the internship. “After learning about the lack of gun regulation in America, it made me angry.” Her experience, she claims, is similar to other young people’s. “Once they learn how few gun laws there are on the books, they will want to do something about it and push for stronger legislation to protect communities.”

The Brady Campaign and Brady Center are grateful to Amy, Chloe, Colin, Peter, Michael, Astrid, Caroline, Anne, Kerian, Kaylie, and Gillian for their energy, commitment, and good work to keeping our communities safe.
Brady Interns Brady interns with Jim Brady
Heidi Yewman: Washington State Activist and Author

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Ten years ago, Heidi Yewman sat at Dave Sanders’ funeral and vowed to help reduce gun violence. Dave was the faculty member killed at the mass shooting at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. Dave was also Heidi’s basketball coach when she attended Columbine. Her vow turned into action when she led a contingent from Oregon to the 2000 Million Mom March in Washington, D.C., and then, returned home to become President of the Vancouver, Washington Million Mom March Chapter, which she has led ever since.

Heidi is also regional coordinator and spokesperson for The Asking Saves Kids Campaign, which encourages parents to ask if guns are safely stored at places where their children play or visit. Heidi’s involvement with the ASK Campaign started when she discovered her two small children playing in a room at a friend’s house where two loaded handguns were stored in the night stand.
As one of the region’s most outspoken and visible advocates for gun violence prevention, Heidi has delivered more than 50 presentations on the impact of gun violence to more than 1,000 parents, teachers, and healthcare providers. Heidi has also held numerous press conferences, vigils, and media events; participated in safety fairs and conferences; placed more than 20 news articles and six opinion articles in The Oregonian, The Columbian, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and in Portland Parents Magazine; was featured in ten broadcast news stories about various gun issues.

Heidi’s recently published book, Beyond the Bullet, is a series of interviews with individuals whose lives were “blown apart by the pull of a trigger,” including two teachers and one parent from Columbine. They discuss the anguish, fear, confusion, and grief caused by suicide, homicide, and unintentional shootings. Heidi found that although the individual circumstances are different, the stories reveal what the survivors hold in common—the strength of the human spirit and its ability to survive. Heidi will be speaking at the memorial for Columbine High School students and faculty on April 20, 2009 in Denver.

Heidi lives in Vancouver with her husband, 14-year-old daughter, and eleven-year-old son. Heidi is proud of all that she has accomplished as a high-profile advocate and MMM Chapter leader, but also recognizes how much more there is to do."
Beyond the Bullet Activist Heidi Yewman's recently published book Beyond the Bullet
Weusi Olusola: President and Program Director of Pioneers for Peace

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Weusi Olusola is from Detroit, where the leading cause of spinal cord injuries is gun shot wounds. He is one of the survivors.

Weusi was on the verge of beginning a prominent basketball career when he was shot four times as an innocent bystander and permanently paralyzed at age 16. But he doesn’t see his injury as a tragedy; he sees it as an opportunity to make a difference as an advocate for violence prevention.

Weusi is proud to act as President and Program Director of Pioneers for Peace, a group of 27 survivors who, like himself, have been permanently disabled by gun violence. They travel around Michigan, the US, and even around the world, telling their stories and letting young people know what happened to them.

To date, the Pioneers for Peace have reached more than 25,000 students with their message.

Detroit, like other cities, faces a scourge of illegal weapons that cause a plague of death and destruction. As Weusi says, "It's time to raise the awareness to this crisis and stop the flow of illegal guns into our communities. As I say, Positive Energy Always Creates Elevation, which spells PEACE."

Weusi serves as an advisor to the Brady Campaign in its work with gun violence victims. We were thrilled to have him join us last year at our Brady fundraising event in New York City where he spoke movingly to our supporters. We salute Weusi's tireless work to end gun violence in his community and in our country.
Time Square lie inDemonstrators lie in Times Square to protest easy guns
Mom March Chapters State Co-President, Blogger, and Facebook Friend to Many

In September of 1999, Rene, then a stay-at-home mom, emailed Donna Dees-Thomases after seeing her on a morning talk show promoting the 2000 Million Mom March. That email was the beginning of Rene's activism, which has continued ever since.

Rene's first volunteer job for the March was to respond to hostile email — a job which she actually enjoyed! Rene has a rather unique and wonderful sense of humor which allows her to giggle over just about anything — even crank mail.

While working as state coordinator for the March, Rene helped organize three support events in Kentucky, as well as the journey of 300 people, including herself, to DC for the March. She went on to assist in the initial building of Chapters in her state and helped edit the Chapters' website.

After the March, Rene was involved in a serious accident that left her disabled- but this didn't deter her from her activism. She, Vicky Keller and MMM President Mary Leigh Blek were honored to be the first members of the newly formed Million Mom March organization to be invited to serve as NGO representatives to the United Nations. In addition, Rene and the members of the Northern Kentucky and Central Kentucky Chapters greeted the Vice Presidential candidates prior to the October 2000 debates in Kentucky.

Still active in the movement- and with the help of the internet- Rene organizes rallies and writes about the issue on her political blog, View From The Sandbox. Her activism online earned her a feature in Forbes' article on the new “cyber-activists.” She also works to educate reporters covering gun violence stories to always ask the question, “Where and how did they get the gun?”

In addition to her Blog, Rene is an active member of the Facebook community and keeps her Friends up-to-date on all things political and gun-related through her regular postings.

Rene now works with disabled children and ironically, through her day job, learned first hand about gun safety when a student brought a loaded gun to school. This frightening experience only strengthened her resolve and her belief in the need for common sense gun laws to protect her community.

Toby Hoover: Activist and Brady Board Member

In 1999, Toby was recognized for her commitment and dedication with Handgun Control’s Activist of the Year Award. James Brady himself bestowed that honor- and for her, it was the highlight of her career in activism.
As executive director and a founding member of the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence (OCAGV), Toby has mobilized her community in northwest Ohio and made gun violence prevention a community priority for 13 years. The Coalition was formed with broad representation from the civic, law enforcement, medical and peace communities for the reduction of gun violence through education, public awareness and advocacy.

Over the years as a state and community leader, Toby has organized the Northwest Ohio Million Mom March in 2000, gun turn-ins at 52 Ohio law enforcement agencies, trigger lock distributions, the STAR program, and the Pledge, ASK and SPEAK UP campaigns in Ohio – among many other efforts.

On the legislative front, her efforts as head of the Ohio Coalition have helped to pass five local gun violence prevention ordinances in three cities and also delayed passage of a Concealed Carry law in Ohio for more than nine years.

Toby is active in many other causes working to bring about safe and peaceful communities, having served on the boards of the Metro-Toledo Churches United, the Toledo Catholic Diocese Human Rights Commission and the Perrysburg League of Women Voters. She is one of the country’s most dedicated and inspiring advocates for strong gun laws and the Brady Campaign is thrilled that she was both elected- and willing- to serve as the public member of the Board of Trustees.

Nick and Amanda Wilcox: California Chapter Leaders

Amanda and Nick Wilcox lost their daughter to gun violence in 2001. Since then, the couple from Nevada County, California have led the fight for strong gun laws in their state, and played a critical role in last year’s passage of the California Crime Gun Identification Law. They have turned tragedy into action.

Laura Wilcox, bright and beautiful at age nineteen, was shot four times and killed in a rampage shooting incident in January 2001. The gunman was known to attend local gun shows, and- exactly one month after Laura’s death- the annual gun show was still held at their county fairgrounds. Stunned by the insensitivity and inappropriateness of such an event, Amanda and Nick, their sons, and a small group of friends gathered in silent vigil to protest the gun show. Front-page coverage in the local paper put the issue of gun shows in the public eye and ignited an on-going debate in the letters section regarding gun laws and firearm violence.

Their group of supporters grew and became more organized; they attended meetings, wrote letters, networked, and generated more media coverage. A local memorial march and rally were held on the first anniversary of the shootings- and ten months later came the release of Bowling for Columbine, a film which was dedicated to Laura and two other victims of gun violence. Amanda and Nick have always stuck to their message that- nationwide, gun shows are a forum for illegal activity, and a means for firearms to fall into inappropriate hands.

Meanwhile, the California Department of Justice agreed to send undercover agents to the next gun show at their fairgrounds. The agents immediately observed banned weapons and discovered that a vendor, who was not a properly licensed gun dealer, sold two illegal semi-automatic rifles. Furthermore, the weapons were sold with no background check, no ten-day waiting period as required by California law, and without being checked at the exit by gun show staff. Gun shows do indeed appear to be a forum for illegal activity. When federal and state laws are broken at these shows, firearms may flow into the hands of prohibited purchasers- such as criminals, children, the mentally ill, or those engaged in domestic violence- thereby threatening the safety of our communities.

The controversy and publicity surrounding the local gun shows and firearm violence have made Amanda and Nick’s county unattractive to gun show promoters and the county is now gun show free! Halting gun shows was a cause supporters could rally around, and so the Nevada County Million Mom March Chapter was born.

Their work continues — now as California Brady Campaign Chapters — and as the Chapters’ Legislative Co-Chairs, Amanda and Nick are now immersed in state firearm legislation as they strategize, submit letters, lobby, and attend committee hearings. Last year, the Chapters’ three-year battle to pass a “microstamping” law in California was finally successful, thanks in large part to the work of Amanda and Nick. The Chapters recognized the Wilcoxes with an “Excellence in Leadership” award for their legislative affairs work.

The Nevada County Chapter continues to work to promote education and awareness of firearm violence prevention, and will focus on the problem of suicide by firearms in the coming year. Amanda and Nick will not stop their efforts until they have created a society free from gun violence, where all are safe at home, at school, at work and in their communities.

For more information about how you can get involved locally, contact your local Million Mom March Chapter.

Joe Samaha: Father of Virginia Tech victim, Reema

Thirty-two people are murdered every day in America from gun violence. Thirty-two people were murdered at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007. The country was riveted to this senseless massacre on a faraway campus on a slightly snowy day.

What if you had a daughter on that campus that day? What if- after trying repeatedly to call her on her cell phone- you decided to make that long drive to find out if she was okay? And, what if, after driving several long, frantic hours, you found out that your daughter was one of the 32 people in the morgue?

Joseph Samaha doesn’t have to ask “what if.” His daughter, Reema, was one of the students killed by Seung Hui Cho that April day.

“I still ask myself: ‘Why didn’t she skip class? Why was she there at that time? Why was [Cho] on this rampage?’” Mr. Samaha tells in an interview. These are questions he will never be able to answer. And he resolves to work hard to make sure that this type of tragedy won’t occur again.

Together with the Brady Campaign, Mr. Samaha along with other parents and survivors met on Capitol Hill with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) to urge Congress to pass this important piece of gun safety legislation. Congress listened and President Bush signed the Act into law on January 8, 2007 making it the first gun control law passed in 13 years.

With other Virginia Tech parents, Mr. Samaha has approached the Virginia State Legislature to close the gun show loophole.

For this grieving father, the work to prevent gun violence continues. Recently, Mr. Samaha has created the Angel website, named for his favorite endearment for Reema. The Fund will work to educate the public on gun laws, with a special focus on the laws in Virginia.

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

Jeanne Kirkton: Former Chapter President, and now Representative in the Missouri State Legislature

A strong advocate for gun violence prevention, Jeanne Kirkton has served as the Legislative Director of the St. Louis Million Mom March Chapter and on the board of Missourians Against Handgun Violence. She has worked tirelessly at the state and local levels against allowing concealed guns in Missouri – and is running this November for Missouri State Legislature.

Jeanne’s first career was as a nurse anesthetist. She both administered anesthesia to and helped to resuscitate more gunshot wound victims than she cares to remember. “By and large,” Jeanne says, “it was needless violence. And while I retired from practice in 1992, one remains a nurse forever.”

In 2000, when the Million Mom March was being planned for Washington, D.C., Jeanne Kirkton sought out others in St. Louis who wanted to be part of the day by organizing a local rally. Jeanne saw the event, and the Chapter that formed afterwards, as part of the movement for common sense gun laws to which she wanted to devote her efforts.

Jeanne worked with fellow activists and started heading to the state capitol to try and pass sensible gun laws in Missouri. She remembers being armed with data on gun deaths, accidents, suicides, safe storage laws, and the exact breakdown of the alarming costs of care for gun violence victims.

Under Jeanne’s leadership, the St. Louis Million Mom March Chapter focused its fight toward preventing the Missouri legislators from overturning a 1999 statewide vote of the people on carrying concealed weapons, known as Proposition B. In 2003, they lost that battle, and Missouri joined the ranks of other states with CCW laws.

So, Jeanne decided that enough was enough. If they couldn’t change their state senator’s vote, then they would have to change their state senator. So, in 2004, Jeanne ran against the incumbent – who had cast the deciding vote that overturned the statewide CCW vote – and lost by a little over 5 percent.

Undaunted, Jeanne ran for her local city council in 2006 and won! And in 2008, she successfully ran for the Missouri state legislature, this time as a state representative. Congratulations, Representative Kirkton!

Jeanne Bishop: President, North Suburban Chicagoland Million Mom March Chapter

Jeanne came to the gun violence prevention movement after experiencing a very personal tragedy. Jeanne’s sister Nancy was murdered at age 25 with a .357 Magnum when she was three months pregnant with her first child. The killer broke into the home and shot Nancy, her husband, and their unborn baby.

The killings forced Jeanne to learn about guns and gun violence. The more she learned, the angrier she became. The killer had stolen the murder weapon from his lawyer’s office; as Jeanne points out, a simple trigger lock could have prevented the shootings.

Jeanne knew that she couldn’t bring her family members back to life. But she could try to prevent gun violence from taking other innocent lives.

So when Jeanne heard about a Million Mom March Chapter in northern Chicago, she went to a meeting. A mother began the meeting by showing a hospital printout of her son’s heartrate, flatlining as he succumbed to a gunshot wound. Jeanne then knew that there were others who had suffered as she had, and who were working to prevent future acts of gun violence, so that no family would have to endure such pain.

Since that first meeting, Jeanne has marched. She has written letters to the editor. She has given speeches. She has met with legislators and educators. And now- she finds herself serving as the President of that Million Mom March Chapter in northern Chicago.

Jeanne has joined with other women and men who share a common goal: to help create an environment in which our children can grow up in peace and safety, by passing sensible gun laws that protect us and our families.

As Jeanne says, “I am proud of the work we do.” And Jeanne, we are proud of you.

Jackie Rowe Adams: Mother, and Founder of Harlem Mothers SAVE

Jackie Rowe Adams kissed her son goodbye one morning. Later that day, he was shot on the front steps of her parents’ home.
Unbelievably, 18 years later, she lost another son to gun violence. A 13-year-old shot him with an illegally trafficked gun during a robbery attempt.
For years after that, Mrs. Adams did not smile. She did not laugh. Then, she decided to do something. “I just woke up one morning and asked my husband, what are the elected officials doing? What are the churches doing?” She joined with other mothers who had lost children to gun violence.
They formed a group called Harlem Mothers SAVE (Stop Another Violent End). Harlem Mothers SAVE has helped shut down some of the corrupt gun dealers who have been pushing illegal guns into our communities.
They also work with the Brady Campaign, and Mrs. Adams recently made a very moving Public Service Announcement about the urgent need to stop illegal gun trafficking. You can view the PSA here.
No one should have to lose a child to gun violence, let alone two children, as Mrs. Adams has. That’s why she keeps working and fighting to get illegal guns off our streets.

Andrew Goddard: Father of Virginia Tech victim, and President, Richmond Million Mom March Chapter

Andy Goddard’s son, Colin, was the first to try to reach 911 on his cell phone on that tragic day when a mentally disturbed student murdered 32 students and faculty members on the Virginia Tech campus. Once he was shot, another student picked up the phone to continue the call. Colin lay on the floor of his classroom in Norris Hall – pretending to be dead – but very much alive, having initiated contact with authorities to get help for classmates and faculty.

Colin’s quick life-saving actions and selflessness mirror his father’s. Andy, now president of the Richmond Million Mom March Chapter, vowed as he sat beside his son’s bed that, if his son lived, he would work to keep other parents and families from enduring the same torture of possibly losing a child to gun violence. He was among the very first of the victims who, within days of the shooting, began an organizing effort to strengthen Virginia’s gun laws. He provided hard-hitting and persuasive testimony to the Virginia Tech Review Advisory Panel – laying out priorities to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again. Among the Panel’s recommendations was required reporting of state mental health records into the National Instant Background Check system, put in place by the Brady Law in 1994. That requirement became law this year. The NICS Improvement Amendments Law is the first national piece of gun control legislation in more than a decade.

Andy’s activism continues. In January, Andy was among the activists who descended on Richmond to press the Assembly to close the gun show loophole. And in the same month, as Senators Lautenberg and Reed introduced national legislation to prevent prohibited purchases from getting guns at gun shows, Andy was inside the nation’s Capitol to urge Congress to pass this law. In March, when the nine Supreme Court justices questioned attorneys in the Second Amendment case, District of Columbia v. Heller, challenging DC’s gun law, Andy was on the steps of the Supreme Court standing with the Brady Campaign and other Million Mom March Chapters and giving interviews to the press. At each and every step along the path toward defending and strengthening America’s gun laws, you will find Andy Goddard.

The Brady Campaign and its dedicated Million Mom March Chapters are deeply grateful to Andy for his inspirational leadership and commitment to strengthening America’s gun laws.

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

Colin Goddard: Virginia Tech Survivor

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Colin is extremely effective as both a speaker and activist for common sense gun laws. As one of the 23 injured students who survived the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, he speaks from direct experience about why our country needs stronger gun laws.
Colin was in French class at Norris Hall when the shooting began. His French professor heard loud noises, peeked outside the door, and quickly closed it again. She yelled at her students to get under their desks and call 911. It was Colin who picked up his cell and dialed, initiating contact with the authorities. He was shot several times during the attack in the knee, hips, and shoulder.
Colin wasted no time in utilizing his particular perspective as a new staff person at the Brady Campaign. On the first day on the job, he did a radio program urging Missouri legislators not to pass a law to allow guns on college campuses. The next day, he spoke at a press event with Mayors for Safer Streets, calling on Congress to close the gun show loophole.
The following week, he spoke on Capitol Hill when Senator Frank Lautenberg (NJ) introduced the Senate bill to close the gun show loophole. And that same week, he traveled to Missouri to do more there to help students and activists oppose a “guns on campus” bill. He's written published op-eds (see Dallas Morning News), and again, spoke about the gun show loophole when Representatives Carolyn McCarthy (NY) and Mike Castle (DE) introduced their bill at the press event on May 6.
"I love this job. Every day, I feel like I’m doing something to improve the public’s awareness of gun violence and get something done to prevent it.”
Colin’s recovery from the shooting injuries took time." But, within the year, he had already begun speaking to the media and responding to requests for interviews. He also made his first public speaking appearance that year, at Richmond’s Capitol. That’s when he got his first piece of hate mail from an angry gun advocate. It set him back.
After graduating from Virginia Tech, he spent a few months “away from it all,” working in Madagascar for CARE. “There was too much going on, too much activity around the shooting and I needed to be shown that this wasn’t everything, that elsewhere- life goes on.”
Soon after, with healing words and encouragement from his father, Andy Goddard, he decided to use his voice in the movement for common sense gun laws. (Andy is the President of Richmond’s Million Mom March Chapter.) His mother asked him to consider whether he was sure about working for an issue that is so divisive and political. He was certain he wanted to work for Brady. And while he still can’t believe the horrible things that gun advocates write and say to him – and others working to prevent gun violence, he has gotten somewhat used to it by now.
In October, Colin heads off to France to return to his career interest in international relations, and then, maybe law school. But right now, he is fully committed to helping the Brady Campaign, and to the passing of common sense gun laws to protect American families.

» Click hereto email your U.S. Representative to close the gun show loophole
Carole Stiller: State President, New Jersey Million Mom March Chapters

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On any given day, Carole Stiller is educating someone somewhere about the impact of gun violence on communities, and the need for stronger gun laws. In her role as New Jersey State President and Mercer County Chapter President, Carole has helped turn New Jersey into one of the Million Mom March Chapters’ strongest states.
She has built relationships with the press, law enforcement, elected officials (including Governor Jon Corzine and Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez), as well as individual activists. Carole’s marketing and outreach skills serve as a model for other Chapter leaders across the country. And she recently had published her op-ed about the effects of the recent Supreme Court decision in the Trenton Times.
Thanks to her leadership, the NJ Chapters are highly respected by both local and federal officials, and are sometimes asked by legislators to review bills before they become co-sponsors. During election seasons, the New Jersey Chapters of the Brady Campaign endorse candidates supporting sensible gun laws and constantly bring attention to such bills in the state and federal legislation.
In 2002, the activism of the New Jersey Chapters led to the state legislature passing a Childproof Handgun bill that requires all handguns sold in New Jersey to be childproofed as soon as childproof handguns become available for the consumer market. Members of the NJ Million Mom March Chapters participated with the Governor in the signing of the bill into law.
The Chapters’ success in New Jersey has led other Million Mom March Chapters to adopt Childproof Handguns as a national initiative, with Chapters across the country pushing to have a similar measure passed in their states.
As her leadership and extensive volunteer efforts make so abundantly clear, Carole is committed to bringing about real change to protect New Jersey families and communities. In her own words: “Fortunately, I have never been a direct victim of gun violence, and I never want anyone in my family to be. So this is why my husband, Tom, and I continue to trudge through the day-to-day challenges of gun violence prevention. I still believe that together, we CAN make a difference!”
Dennis Henigan: Author and Brady Vice President for Law and Policy

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Dennis Henigan has devoted the past twenty years of his life toward preventing gun deaths and injuries. In 1989, he left his position as a partner in a national law firm to become the founding Director of the Brady Center’s Legal Action Project (LAP). He started LAP to take the fight against gun violence into the courts. Under his direction, the Project has represented scores of gun violence victims on a pro bono basis, demanding that the gun industry be held legally accountable for its dangerous and irresponsible practices.

The Project also conducts investigative research and distributes its findings in reports that expose how the gun industry’s conduct fuels the illegal market, jeopardizing public safety. LAP lawyers have been the first line of defense when our nation’s gun laws are attacked by the gun lobby in court. Today Denny is the Vice President for Law and Policy at the Brady Center and Brady Campaign, and is responsible for federal and state legislation, as well as litigation. Denny has long been a leading spokesperson for stronger gun laws, appearing dozens of times on national television shows, including 60 Minutes, Today, Nightline, Larry King Live and Dateline NBC.

Denny is the author of an important new book, Lethal Logic: Exploding the Myths that Paralyze American Gun Policy (Potomac Books 2009). Based on his two decades of battling the gun lobby, Denny takes on the “bumper sticker logic” of the National Rifle Association and its allies.

He argues that the NRA’s success in blocking sensible gun laws- despite their support by the vast majority of the American people- is largely due to the gun lobby’s effective use of a few simple and resonant messages. “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.” “When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.” “An armed society is a polite society.” We have all heard these slogans, and others, over and over again.

Lethal Logic is the first book to comprehensively dissect and dismantle these pro-gun messages, exposing them as cleverly disguised fallacies. It will be an indispensable tool to activists who are working to overcome the gun lobby’s incessant use of these specious slogans to block progress toward sanity in our nation’s gun laws.

Lethal Logic was unveiled at a luncheon in Washington, D.C. celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Legal Action Project. The event honored the law firms and lawyers who have donated their time and skill to LAP cases through the years and recognized the Project’s achievements. Under Denny’s leadership, the Project has been on the cutting edge of the law, establishing lifesaving precedents. Historic LAP victories include:

  • Winning the first appeals court ruling that gun makers can be liable for irresponsible conduct increasing the risk of violence.
  • Winning the first court ruling that gun makers can be liable for failing to install internal safety locks, leading to major safety innovations in gun design.
  • Winning the first settlement for a victim from a gun manufacturer for its ole in supplying the criminal gun market.
  • Revealing the first major gun lobby “whistleblower” and introducing his testimony in court cases.
  • The Brady Center’s Legal Action Project is one of the premier public interest law programs in the nation. In the wake of last year’s landmark Second Amendment ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller recognizing an individual’s right to have guns in the home, the need for a powerful voice in the courts for strong gun laws is more important than ever.

Sarah Brady has said that Denny’s book Lethal Logic “will save lives.” There is no doubt that Denny’s work as a lawyer and advocate has been saving lives for two decades.

» Click hereto email your U.S. Representative to close the gun show loophole
Dustin Hoffman: Actor

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We asked our friend and supporter, Dustin Hoffman, why he got involved in the gun violence prevention movement. Here is his response:

“I first became an activist for gun safety when I was preparing for my role in the film Runaway Jury. In the film, a widow is suing the manufacturer of the gun that was used to shoot her husband. I played her lawyer and had the good fortune to meet with Dennis Henigan from the Brady Center. I learned so much from Dennis and actually patterned my character on him.

“The more I learned, the angrier I became. For example, despite the fact that more than 80% of Americans say they’re for greater gun control, it doesn’t happen, because the National Rifle Association (NRA) is the most powerful lobby in Washington, D.C.

“Around that time I also heard about the NRA’s list of ‘Anti-Gun Individuals and Celebrities.’ I was dismayed to realize I wasn’t on their blacklist, so I wrote them a letter and asked them to add my name. When the Brady Campaign created their NRAblacklist.com website to raise awareness about the NRA’s extremism, I was honored to be prominently featured on the list.

“I’ve supported the Brady Campaign ever since, and I’m proud to be an outspoken voice for strengthening our nation’s gun laws.”

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