Brady Newsletter January 25, 2019

This week, H.R. 8, officially surpassed the needed 218 cosponsors for the bill to advance. [This week in Brady News]( View this email as a [webpage]( News to Use The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and Brady released a [co-branded social justice briefing on gun violence prevention]( this week. The brief includes NASW's recommendations that social workers include safe storage assessment questions and information to clients as a way to End Family Fire. If you are a social worker and/or conduct gvp outreach with those in the social work, education or public health communities, please share this briefing as needed. [State of the Union Bingo]( And, don’t forget to gather with friends and family for Brady’s (now “on” again) [State of the Union Bingo on Tuesday](. Prizes will be given for various categories such as biggest watch party, first Bingo, etc. It might be the only enjoyment we’ll have on what will probably prove to be a speech with little mention of gun violence prevention. --------------------------------------------------------------- Electoral Update 2020 Watch -- Kamala Harris is the latest senator to officially get into the presidential race. "Truth, justice, decency, equality, freedom, democracy. These aren't just words. They're the values we as Americans cherish," Harris said in her [announcement video](. She'll have a rally in Oakland on Sunday and attend a [CNN town hall]( in Iowa on Monday (and here is [her senior staff](. "Harris will court voters wary of law enforcement by presenting herself as a kinder and gentler prosecutor — a 'progressive' attorney who advocated for the vulnerable and served the public interest. At the same time, [her friends and strategists] believe leaning into her background will allow her to project toughness against Donald Trump," [POLITICO's Christopher Cadelago]( wrote. "But it will be a tough balancing act. ... A scathing New York Times op-ed ... argued that Harris was overzealous against defendants in a slew of cases she or her office handled." --------------------------------------------------------------- Policy Update This week, H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Check Act of 2019, officially surpassed the needed 218 cosponsors for the bill to advance. H.R. 8 is now supported by over 226 members of Congress, including all Brady-endorsed incumbents and newly elected members. Tell your member of congress that you support expanding background checks by sending them an [email](. Additionally, the new pro-GVP Congress saw the introduction of another piece of bipartisan legislation this week: Reps. Anthony Brown (D MD-04) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R PA-01) introduced H.R. 717, the Raise The Age Act. This bill, if passed, would raise the age to purchase a semi-automatic assault-style rifle from 18 to 21. Under current federal law, individuals must be 21 to purchase handguns, but only 18 to purchase long guns, including semi-automatic rifles. --------------------------------------------------------------- Gun Violence Prevention Heroes of the Week On MLK day, our Virginia chapter members, including Brady Board Member Martina Leinz, Andy Goddard, Jim Sollo, and the rest of the Virginia delegation, gathered at the state capitol to advocate for gun violence prevention bills in the legislature. The theme of the day for Virginia gun violence prevention activists was vote for gun violence prevention, or you will be voted out in the state’s 2019 elections. In addition, they were joined by Team Enough and March for Our Lives DC students who met with Democrats and Republicans alike to find ways to pass meaningful gun safety legislation in Richmond. They even got to meet Governor Northam, Representative Spanberger, and former Brady chapter leader and current minority leader of the House of Delegates, Eileen Filler-Corn. [Brady supporters in Virginia] --------------------------------------------------------------- Brady in the News This week, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will hear a Second Amendment case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. City of New York, for the first time in nearly a decade. The Brady Center, which has been the leading legal voice in the gun safety movement for 30 years, made clear that “the stakes for this case are nothing less than life or death.” Jonathan Lowy, VP, Litigation at the Brady Center, spoke with [Bloomberg News]( about the importance of the case and what it might mean going forward. A new study released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that school shootings have become more frequent and more deadly over the past few years, with eight multiple-victim homicides between 2016 and 2018 alone. Brady VP, Programs Kyleanne Hunter discussed the study with [HealthDay]( noting the correlation between the increase in shootings and the end of the federal ban on assault weapons. In California, newly inaugurated governor Gavin Newsom is moving quickly to strengthen the state’s already robust gun safety laws. In an interview with the [Los Angeles Times]( Amanda Wilcox of the California Chapters of the Brady Campaign applauded the governor’s commitment to keeping guns out of dangerous hands and expressed confidence that he will sign further legislation into law. Gun safety has continued to be a top issue on Capitol Hill as the newly inaugurated 116th Congress dives into action. A number of New Jersey legislators, including Brady-endorsed Reps. Andy Kim, Tom Malinowski, Mikie Sherrill, and Chris Smith, are taking a leading role in a range of legislative proposals, as reported by [NJ Advance Media](. A tragic [family fire]( incident in California led to a woman being hospitalized after her son accidentally shot her in a preschool parking lot. [Daily Kos]( reports that the shotgun had been left loaded in her car, and the child found it and started playing with it in the backseat. --------------------------------------------------------------- Brady Quote of the Week: “In 2018, there were [340 mass shootings]( in the United States. 25 days into 2019, there have [already been 21](. Each one is just as devastating as the last, no matter if they take place at a school, a church, an office, or in a neighborhood shooting spree. We can’t pick and choose which mass shootings get the public’s notice - if we want to end gun violence in America, we need to honor and equally value each and every victim.” - Brady President Kris Brown Follow Brady on Social Media: [Follow us on Facebook]( [Follow us on Twitter]( [Follow us on Instagram]( Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence 840 First Street, NE Suite 400 Washington, DC 20002 United States Our work is made possible by supporters like you. Please consider making a gift today. 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