A Decade of Demanding: Moms Demand Action Leaders Share Their Journey

Since our founding in 2012, Moms Demand Action has pushed back against the gun lobby and fought for common-sense laws and policies to make our communities safer. Thanks to the hard work of our volunteers across the country, we have been able to achieve unprecedented victories against the gun lobby — at the ballot box, in state legislatures, on school boards and in corporate boardrooms across America. 

With nearly 10 million supporters in every state and Washington, D.C., our movement has never been stronger. For the 10-year anniversary of Moms Demand Action, we asked some of our volunteers why they got involved and what inspires them to keep going.

Moms-Turned-Lawmaker

State Representative Jennifer Boylan, she/her/hers

• Former Rhode Island Chapter Leader and Rhode Island Legislative and Elections Lead

  Rhode Island

The loneliness and despair I felt in the days and weeks after Sandy Hook made me feel hopeless. But when I joined Moms Demand Action at the very beginning of January 2013, connecting with a posse of like-minded people buoyed me and gave me the confidence to go all-in as a leader. 

We were small and unheard of. I constantly had to explain who and what Moms Demand Action was. As we grew in numbers and we consistently showed up at the Rhode Island state house, we eventually gained a Gun Sense majority in both chambers, and we finally began passing gun safety laws. 

The movement has changed so much in the past decade. Gun safety is now a winning issue in much of our state. Here in Rhode Island, we have several Moms-turned-lawmakers, including me (!), a first-year lawmaker in the Rhode Island House of Representatives. 

Passing our first gun safety bill in Rhode Island was one of my proudest moments in this work: It took over 3 years to pass the Protect Rhode Island Families Act in 2017, and the gun lobby fought us every step of the way. And since 2017, we’ve passed 9 gun safety bills.

As both a former Moms Demand Action volunteer and now a Gun Sense lawmaker, I remain inspired in this work and in this movement by gun violence survivors. I see them honor lost loved ones with action in the community and on social media, and they motivate me to keep going. I look up to leaders in our movement like Shannon Watts and Lucy McBath, Everytown Survivor Fellow Diana Garlington, and former Rhode Island State Representative Marcia Ranglin-Vassell. 

Even though I am no longer a volunteer, I remain committed to gun violence prevention work: I have introduced 4 gun safety bills that I crafted on my own, and I could not have done that without all that I learned from being a Moms Demand Action leader. Thank you, Moms!

I Won’t Stop Until Things Are Safer for My Kids and All Kids

Jeni Olson, she/her/hers

• Bexar County Moms Demand Action & State Data Lead for Texas

  San Antonio, Texas

Over the years, I had taken various gun violence prevention actions—from mailing letters to my representatives after Columbine to online actions once I had email—but when Trump was elected, I knew I had to get more involved and looked for something that put boots on the ground.

And that’s when I found Moms Demand Action. 

When I joined six years ago, this work was still incredibly contentious in Texas, and Moms Demand Action events usually had guys with long guns protesting nearby. We were called “gun grabbers”, and wearing your red shirt around meant you needed to be ready for anything. 

So, if gun safety was still the third rail of politics when I first began this work, imagine my surprise now that Gun Sense Candidates want our endorsement! Now when we show up to events, candidates and elected officials ask for pictures of us in our red shirts. And Moms Demand volunteers are even invited to participate on panels and speak at community events.

Even though we haven’t had many wins on the state legislative level in Texas, we are building strong coalitions: We have organized and strategized, and we are winning in the way we have engaged volunteers and partnered with violence interrupters and community leaders. 

And most importantly, when I joined Moms Demand Action, I found my people. I had moved to Texas a few years before I joined and hadn’t really found my friend group yet. But through Moms Demand Action volunteering, I’ve made some of my very best friends, near and far, through a shared outlook that we don’t have to live like this, and we can bring about change. 

And I won’t stop until things are safer for my kids and all kids. 

My daughter is a first-grade teacher. The saddest and most frustrating thing is when she told me that she realized she had done active shooter drills her entire school life, from K-12, and now she is the one hiding students. We let her and generations of young people go to school under the constant threat of gun violence, and haven’t fixed things. If anything, things have gotten worse. 

So I remain inspired to continue my work in the gun violence prevention movement because of my kids. They are grown now, but I want the world they live in to be safe. I want them to be able to drive around, go to the mall, concerts, the grocery store, festivals, work, or the movies without fear of being shot. And I want that for their kids and all kids.

There Is a Light at the End of the Tunnel

Leslie Anne Washington, she/her/hers

• State Legislative Lead, National Trainer, and Senior Survivor Fellow

  Cape Girardeau, MO

I joined the gun violence prevention movement because I am a survivor of domestic and firearm violence, and I was sick and tired of continued senseless gun violence. 

Since joining the gun violence prevention movement, I’ve seen more communication from President Biden about gun violence and mass shootings and more volunteers across the country.

Moms Demand Action and this movement was always very comfortable, supportive, and welcoming, especially as I was becoming a state legislative lead for Missouri and sharing my experience with firearms and domestic violence. I’m so proud of my work in this movement, especially speaking at a BIPOC Communities conference in St. Louis. 

I continue to be inspired by my friends in this movement: I share a special bond with my Missouri Moms family: Kristen Bowen, Cheryl Stumbo, and Lynda Stewart. And I’m inspired by others in this movement—like Brenda Moss and Shannon Watts—to continue telling my story and sharing my experience so that anyone can see that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

There’s a Place for You in This Movement

Volunteers like Courtney, State Representative Jennifer Boylan, Jeni, Christine and Leslie have been making an impact in their communities for 10 years. No matter where you live or what your skillset is, there’s a place for you in this movement.

Join us for the next 10 by texting DECADE to 644-33!