Brady Weekly Newsletter

[This Week in Brady News] Mark Your Calendars for September 25! 🗓️ This coming Wednesday, September 25, will be a BIG day in the movement to end gun violence, and we'll be taking over Capitol Hill. Here's what's in store. - We’re Packing the Room for a Hearing on Banning Assault Weapons The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on a bipartisan bill to ban assault weapons. It's been15 years since the federal assault weapons ban expired, and we know it saved lives: In the decade after the 1994-2004 ban expired, America saw a 347% increase in fatalities in gun massacres. Banning assault weapons is common-sense, plain and simple. And it’s supported by 67% of Americans. [Sign up to join us for the hearing](. - After the Hearing, We Rally! We’re joining hundreds of activists, including Chicago faith leaders, Newtown Action Alliance, and more for a rally against gun violence on the National Mall. We need Americans from coast to coast, red, blue, and every color, to join us to demand action to end gun violence. [RSVP on Facebook for the national rally!]( And if you haven't already, [please urge representatives to support Rep. Cicilline's bipartisan bill (H.R. 1296) to ban assault weapons]( Now is urgent — the bill is just six cosponsors [short]( of advancing! --------------------------------------------------------------- 9 People Shot in Less than 30 Minutes in Washington, D.C. Nine people were shot, two fatally, in [back-to-back shootings]( Thursday night in Washington, D.C. Every three days, someone is shot and killed in our nation's capital — in our senator's backyards — yet the people of D.C. have no voice in Congress. It’s past time for the city’s more than 700,000 residents to have a say in our nation's gun laws. [Watch footage of Brady Vice President Christian Heyne calling for D.C. statehood](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Brady California Sends 1️⃣5️⃣Gun Safety Bills to Gov. Newsom’s Desk After months of lobbying, testifying, calling, emailing, and more, Brady’s California Chapter helped pass 15 gun violence prevention bills through the state legislature. These bills include two major priorities: - SB 61 will prevent the stockpiling of semi-automatic weapons, the weapon of choice for mass shooters. Data shows firearms acquired in large quantities at once are often resold on the black market and used in crimes. - AB 1669 will raise the fee for gun purchases. Funds will go to the California Department of Justice to cover the cost of vital measures like background checks. We’re driving calls and messages to Gov. Newsom to urge him to pass these critical gun safety measures. [Send a tweet asking Gov. Newsom to make these bills law!]( --------------------------------------------------------------- ICYMI: Our PSA on the “Morning Routine” in America 📺 Back-to-school season should be a celebratory time, not one filled with fear. Watch our video, and consider sharing it as part of our campaign to demand Sen. Mitch McConnell take action. [Watch now.]( [Share on Facebook]( | [Share on Twitter]( --------------------------------------------------------------- It's Past Time to Kick the Gun Lobby Out of Our Government! We know why livesaving gun safety legislation is continually blocked in Congress: because so many of our politicians are bought and paid for by the NRA gun lobby. It's past time to put people over profits! "We must fight to make sure that groups like the NRA can't spend millions of dollars to block common-sense gun violence prevention laws." — Rep. Lucy McBath Brady Vice President of Policy Christian Heyne joined Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Rep. Lucy McBath, and our friends at End Citizens United to discuss how we can cut the ties between money and politics. [Watch the livestream footage of our panel at the National Press Club in D.C.]( Panelists: (l-r) Brady Vice President of Policy Christian Heyne, Sen. Blumenthal, Rep. McBath, and End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller --------------------------------------------------------------- Brady Legal Fights for Justice in Pennsylvania and Boston ⚖️ Brady Legal, led by Brady Chief Counsel Jon Lowy, was in an Appellate Court in Pennsylvania for a case representing the parents of [James Robert “J.R.” Gustafson, a 13-year-old boy who was killed in an unintentional shooting in 2016](. The lawsuit alleges that a gun manufacturer made and sold a gun without the simple, inexpensive safety features that could have prevented J.R.’s death. Brady Legal was also in Boston arguing in a case against Armslist, the largest online marketplace for guns. In 2016, [Armslist allegedly sold firearms to a gun trafficker]( who then sold a weapon to a prohibited purchaser. The gunman then [shot a Boston police officer Kurt Stokinger]( with that same gun. We argued that Armslist facilitates illegal acts and is not immune from civil liability under the federal Communications Decency Act — an issue we have also raised in our Petition for review by the U.S. Supreme Court. --------------------------------------------------------------- Gun Violence Prevention (GVP) Hero of the Week 😍 “Nothing highlights the absurdity of Congress’s inability to solve the gun violence crisis like seeing 318 mass shootings in 260 days and then holding a hearing on extremism in social media.” — Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) Sen. Duckworth set the record straight at Wednesday's Senate subcommittee hearing on social media and gun violence. The hearing was prompted by President Trump in a blatant attempt to distract attention away from gun reform. [Send Sen. Duckworth a tweet thanking her for speaking truth to power]( Sen. Duckworth presented a number of charts during her remarks to lllustrate that gun violence in America is not correlated with social media use or video games. [Watch video of her remarks]( and then [tweet her thanks!]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Brady in the News: Must-Reads 📰 [With Harrowing Ads, Gun Safety Groups Push a Scarier Reality]( New York Times [Trump, Lawmakers Consider App that Would Conduct Background Checks: Report]( Hill [New Jersey Opens a New Path to Gun Safety]( Bloomberg [How Many Kids Have to Get Shot Before More Gun Owners Step Up, Secure Their Weapons?]( Fort Worth Star Telegram --------------------------------------------------------------- Brady Quote of the Week 🎤 “Walmart, Dick’s, Kroger, and now a leading manufacturer of assault weapons. We need to keep this momentum going and demand Congress immediately ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. America can’t wait another day!” — [Brady President Kris Brown]( responding to news that Colt Firearms will stop selling AR-15 style rifles to the civilian market [Share on Facebook.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Paid for by the Brady Campaign. Contributions to the Brady Campaign are not tax deductible. Our work is made possible by supporters like you. [DONATE]( Emails are crucial for communicating with top members of the Brady Campaign team. To put an end to the gun violence epidemic, we need you on board every step of the way. However, if you would prefer to receive fewer emails, [click here to update your contact preferences.]( If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please [unsubscribe](