- Right now @clgoddard is delivering 35K signatures to Congress pre-State of the Union to push for action on #guns http://t.co/C04i0QaY
- What can you do to help make a safer nation? Consider volunteering time & talent. Details here: http://t.co/hG1SKqJL
- If you've lost a loved one to gun violence, plz share your story: http://t.co/vSjqVbmI
- Tell Congress we want action to reduce #gun violence. Help reach the goal of 30,000 emails by midnight: http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- Only hours left to make as big an impact as possible. Plz RT to help reach goal of 30K emails to Congress: http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- #NowIsTheTime to rally friends & followers to reach our goal of 30,000 emails to Congress in the next few hours: http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- #NowIsTheTime to make Congress hear our demand to reduce #gun violence. Help send 30K emails by midnight http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- Make sure Congress hears our demand for action to reduce #gun violence. Let's send 30,000 emails over the next 48 hours http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- Make our voices heard. Help send 30,000 emails urging Senate Judiciary Committee members to act on #gun reform http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- #NowIsTheTime to rally friends, family & followers to help send 30,000 emails to Congress in the next 48 hours: http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- Nationwide call-to-action: Help rally friends & family to send 30,000 emails to Congress in the next 48 hours: http://t.co/GdNtznlD
- President, Gabby Giffords & Mark Kelly say #NowIsTheTime for #gun reform. Tell Congress you agree: http://t.co/NJBj2Vt8 http://t.co/bWHypNuY
VA Tech Families: Gov. McDonnell Ignored Our Pleas, People Will Die
Feb 28, 2012
Washington, D.C. – When Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell decided today to sign legislation that repeals Virginia’s 19-year-old restriction on selling more than one handgun a month, he ignored the pleas of the Virginia Tech families affected by the worst shooting massacre in the history of the Commonwealth and the United States.
Colin Goddard, who survived being shot four times at Virginia Tech and now works as an advocate with the Brady Campaign, was outraged.
"When the Virginia Tech families spoke to the governor on Saturday, he offered sympathy, not solutions. Sympathy alone will not save lives. The governor had a chance to be a leader for our state and for the nation in preventing future gun tragedies, but he chose a different path. As a result, innocent people will die. We will not let Virginians forget his shameful decision."
Lori Haas, whose daughter Emily survived being shot on April 16, 2007, and helped write and deliver a letter to Gov. McDonnell last week, asking him to meet with victims and survivors of the Virginia Tech massacre, saw the governor’s action as pandering. “Gov. McDonnell saw the wisdom of this law as a legislator. In our conversation with him on Saturday, he didn’t offer a single rational explanation for getting rid of it,” said Haas, a spokesperson for Virginians for Responsible Gun Laws. “When gun dealers can sell more guns without limits, they get the cold hard cash and we get more dead bodies. The governor needs to understand that.”
Peter Read, who lost his daughter, Mary Karen Read, during the Virginia Tech Massacre, told the governor during Saturday’s conference call, “I want to be able to say to anyone who asks that our governor is a profile in courage.” Today, in responding to the governor’s acceptance of the repeal, Read said, ”We didn’t get a profile in courage from our governor. We got a profile in capitulation.”
Dan Gross, new president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, was also dismayed at the governor’s unwillingness to put public safety first. “We at the Brady Campaign will continue to work with the families of Virginia Tech and citizens everywhere to let elected officials know that we’re not going away, we’re not backing down. If they make decisions that cost American lives, we will make sure the voices of their constituents are heard.”
The one-gun-a-month limit on handgun sales succeeded in dramatically reducing gun trafficking in Virginia, which 19 years ago was dubbed the “firearms supermarket” and “iron pipeline” for supplying crime guns to cities along Interstate I-95, including Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York. It had the support of the 66 percent of Virginians, according to a poll released Feb. 19 by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
The Virginia Tech families, who since the tragedy five years ago, have become advocates for saving more Americans from the devastation of gun violence, are determined to continue their fight for strong, sensible gun laws.
Family members who requested the meeting with the governor last week included: Lori and Channing Haas, Andrew and Colin Goddard, Peter D. Read, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF (Retired), Father of Mary Karen Read, VT '07, and Catherine M. Read, Kevin Sterne, Derek O’Dell, Joe, Mona, and Omar Samaha.
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The Brady Campaign is the nation's largest citizens' lobby to prevent gun violence. We represent the voice of the overwhelming majority of Americans who are tired of living with the constant tragedy of gun violence and are in favor of strong laws and policies that will save lives. We are the light that exposes politicians who are putting the American people at risk, empowering the American people to hold them accountable for decisions and actions that undermine public safety.
We are driven by the focused vision of a nation where all Americans are safe at home, at work, at school, and in our communities.
Dan Gross is the President of the Brady Campaign and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. A photo and more information about Dan Gross is available here.
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