Media Highlights

Allure: Why These Allure Staffers #WearOrange for National Gun Violence Awareness Day

“Gun violence is a worldwide issue, but in the United States, it is particularly unique. Written into our constitution is the right to bear arms — a right that a certain segment of the population, along with organizations backed by major dollars, thinks should be unfettered. The lack of regulation and the partisan, politically-charged conversation behind it have had devastating results: We live in a country where, according to Everytown, an organization that researches and aims to reduce gun violence, about three million children witness gun violence a year, a third of homicides are gun deaths, and two-thirds of…

Refinery29: Police Shootings Play A Major Role In National Gun Violence Statistics

“We cannot talk about ending gun violence without also talking about police brutality,” said Moms Demand Action organizer Lisa Hendricks on Twitter. …

Elite Daily: On Gun Violence Awareness Day 2020, I’m Grieving All Over Again

“I don’t pretend to fathom the grief the families of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor are feeling right now. But I can empathize with them, and I often do. When I was just 16 years old, I lost my friend, Hadiya Pendleton, to reckless gun violence. She was only 15 years old. Hadiya and a few other friends were trying to shelter from the rain in a playground near our Chicago high school when she was shot and killed on Jan. 29, 2013. The bullets weren’t meant for her, but as so many of us have bitterly learned, bullets…

Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Beach moms’ group kicks off anti-gun violence campaign

“It made me want to become more of a part of Moms Demand Action,” she said. “It really is amazing to be a part of, because I know I’m not doing this for myself and my family, but I do this for other families who have lost a child or a loved one to gun violence.”…

Midland Daily News: Moms Demand Action marks National Gun Violence Day Friday

“Wear Orange this year is trying to focus on local organizations in black and brown communities who have been doing this sort of work before Moms Demand Action have come along,” Sullivan said.

PEOPLE: Sophia Bush Owns a Gun — and Says She Wants ‘Much Stricter Legislation Around Gun Ownership’

The nearly lifelong gun owner also sits on the Creative Council for Everytown for Gun Safety. “I’m a really passionate advocate for responsible gun ownership and for much stricter legislation around gun ownership,” Bush says. “It feels a bit mental that we wouldn’t regulate guns in the same way that we regulate cars, for example. You have to pass a test, have insurance, get your qualifications checked.”…

KATC – Lafayette (ABC): National Gun Violence Awareness kicks off Friday

“There are many Black led social justice organizations that continue to lead movements — as they have for decades — seeking to dismantle white supremacy and racism in all of its forms,” said Miller. “We must forge ahead in lockstep with our partners and allies. Moms Demand Action wants to work with those groups in Acadiana and encourage them to reach out to us.” Read the full article here.

NJ.com: Mom demanding action against gun violence stands in solidarity with George Floyd protesters

“We weren’t standing together, but we stood as moms. We were there as individuals to stand with the protestors,” Frisby said. “I felt that it was important to wear my Moms Demand Action shirt to let everyone know that is something that we are also standing for in solidarity.”…

The News-Tribune: Drive-thru food drive collects donations for local charity

“Gun violence affects people of color disproportionately — they are more affected — and so are people in areas that are maybe economically depressed, so we started looking for somebody like that that we could partner with,” Crossnoe said.

WGLT – Bloomington (NPR): Moms Group Finds COVID-Safe Ways To Spread Gun Violence Prevention Message

“There is an awareness of what’s a priority right now for our community, and trying to handle the issues that are affecting us the most,” said Karen Irvin, a leader of the Moms Demand Action chapter. “But gun violence is underneath all of that. When we talk about the communities that are most affected by (COVID-19 or police-community relations), they’re also disproportionately impacted by gun violence. So there is an interconnection there.”…

PEOPLE: Actor Jason George Supports Wear Orange Campaign Against Gun Violence, Decries Systemic Racism

“Growing up in a military town shaped my perspective on guns and gun violence, but never more than when it famously became the center of gun violence itself, when twelve people were shot and killed in a mass shooting in my hometown almost exactly a year ago. Last year, I mourned with my Virginia Beach community. This year, I mourn for the lives cut short by racism and gun violence. The situation frustrates and infuriates me as it does many others. But it also motivates me. I’m inspired by the millions of Americans who agree with me. This year,…

San Francisco Chronicle: East Bay mother of 5 fights the NRA and gun violence with digital savvy

“I am feeling very optimistic about the 2020 election. It’s the one light at the end of the tunnel right now,” Watts said. “We’ll elect a gun-sense president, flip the Senate, hold the House and continue to change the makeup of state legislatures.” Read the full article here.

AZ Mirror: Groups try new ways to reach domestic violence survivors amid pandemic

“Arizona lawmakers were put on notice and they continue to ignore their constituents,” Kara Waite, a volunteer with Moms Demand Action said in a statement about the ad. “This ad shows that we have not forgotten about the lives taken by domestic violence or lawmakers’ inaction over the past years.” …

American Academy of Pediatrics: Engagement and Leadership in Firearm-Related Violence Prevention: The Role of the Pediatric Hospitalist

“Everytown for Gun Safety created the Be SMART campaign, another framework to help families discuss firearm ownership and safe storage with others in their communities. Be SMART advocates for safely securing all guns in your home and vehicles, modeling responsible behavior around guns, asking about the presence of unsecured guns in other homes your children will visit, recognizing the role of guns in suicide, and telling your peers to be smart.”…

Katie Couric Newsletter: Gun Control Advocate Shannon Watts on Gun Safety, George Floyd Protests

“When white supremacists stormed Charlottesville with torches and guns, the president said there were ‘very fine people on both sides.’ When mostly white crowds protested stay at home orders, the president encouraged them. But when predominantly black crowds protest against the deaths of black people, the president called for more gun violence. We all — particularly white Americans — need to take a stand against injustice and racism to stop this dangerous president and his allies.”…