Ghost guns, mental health, & good news in California!

wow, you sent 8,000 messages to ATF Dear {NAME}, Have you ever heard of a “ghost gun?” They are unregulated, unserialized, and untraceable firearms that ANYONE can buy online and build in their own home — no background check required. Simply purchase a kit with gun parts, follow the instructions, and you’ve made an untraceable, fully functional firearm. Ghost guns are selling off the shelves right now as overall gun sales surge amid the coronavirus pandemic. Manufacturers recently told 60 Minutes that they can’t keep up with customer demand. For years now, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) — the sole agency in charge of regulating firearms — has turned a blind eye to the ghost gun market. But this cannot continue. Just this week with your help, we sent over 8,000 emails to the ATF demanding action. But as ghost guns continue to fly off the shelves, we need every Brady supporter to tell the ATF to regulate the ghost gun market. [We want to hit 10,000 messages to ATF by midnight. Will you send a message now demanding they regulate the ghost gun market?]( [TELL THE ATF TO ACT]( Register Now: Webinar on Mental Health and Firearms Social isolation and anxieties around coronavirus mean conversations about mental health and access to guns are more important than ever. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and we're discussing these issues in a webinar with our friends [Mental Health America]( on Thursday, May 21, at 3 p.m. ET. Brady's Dr. Kyleanne Hunter and Mental Health America's Debbie Plotnick will share how you can create action plans to keep your friends and families healthy and safe. They'll also answer your questions about mental health, suicide, and safe gun storage. [REGISTER NOW]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Gun Stores in These Five States Remain Open as Gun Sales Soar Despite emergency shutdown orders by state governors, new [reporting by the Trace and USA Today]( reveals that gun stores in Massachusetts, New York, New Mexico, Washington, and Michigan remain open for business. The gun stores’ motivation to remain open, in part, comes after heavy influence by the NRA and the National Sports Shooting Foundation (NSSF) — which have lobbied for gun stores to be exempt from shutdown orders. Brady [immediately condemned]( this move as a threat to public health and safety. “It is incredibly alarming to think that there are a number of gun dealers that are essentially going rogue." — Brady Vice President of Policy Christian Heyne Gun dealers play a very important role in our communities — they are often the first line of defense for gun sales, safety, and protocols. They help ensure background checks are completed, stop potential gun traffickers, and inform buyers about gun safety. But gun sellers who refuse to obey shutdown orders are refusing to uphold their core responsibility: to ensure the safety of their customers and communities. The gun industry is not above the law. More now than ever, we must reject the gun lobby’s notion and actions that profits are more important than people. [Read more in our press release.]( [READ MORE]( Looking for some good news? On Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California included $9 million in funding to prevent gun violence in the California state budget! This is the first step in ensuring that the California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) Grant Program will be funded. CalVIP supports community-based programs in historically underserved communities. [Thank you to @GavinNewsom for including $9 million to prevent gun violence in the California state budget! Because of you, communities will be better funded to prevent gun violence. #CalVIP]( [TWEET THIS]( What Do Shut Down Protests Have to Do with Gun Extremism? Armed extremists in Michigan and elsewhere are using tactics intended to terrorize. Without their guns, the American public and media might dismiss these extremists for what they are: a vanishingly small, but vocal, minority. [Read more in our Medium piece by Kelly Sampson, Counsel of Constitutional Litigation, Legal Alliance, and Racial Justice](. [The Million Mom March: Continuing its Legacy 20 Years Later]( In this episode celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Million Mom March, JJ welcomes three women to the show who are each as knowledgeable about gun violence prevention as they are committed to its ideals: Brady President Kris Brown; Dana Sanchez-Quist, a member of the Brady State Executive Committee; Shikha Hamilton, Brady National Chapter Organizing and Chapter Development Manager; and Donna Dees-Thomases, the visionary founder of the Million Mom March. [Listen now!]( [LISTEN NOW]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Brady Donor Spotlight: Eric Havian Eric Havian is a lawyer with Constantine Cannon, and he has supported Brady from its inception. For the past 25 years, he has exclusively represented whistleblowers in his law practice, but has supported Brady’s legal work as a Board Member of the Impact Fund and as an individual lawyer in pro-bono cases. Eric’s first exposure to gun violence prevention was in 1982, when he helped draft Proposition 15, a statewide ballot initiative that would have frozen the number of handguns in California. It ultimately was defeated, but the gun lobby spent record amounts to defeat it. The proposition was strongly supported by a wide array of people across the political spectrum, including Armand Hammer, CEO of Occidental Petroleum, and Otis Chandler, publisher of the Los Angeles Times. Eric continues his work preventing gun violence today. [Learn more about Eric, his work surrounding gun violence prevention, and how to support Brady!]( [READ NOW]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Column: Trump’s Latest ‘Very Good People’ are 2nd Amendment Thugs,]( Los Angeles Times [Gun Shops Flouted State Closure Orders in April as Industry Notched Another Big Month]( USA Today [One Good Thing From the Pandemic: Mass Shootings in U.S. Plunge]( Bloomberg [Behind Every Gun Law is a Mom Marching for Her Children]( The HillThis week, Gov. Gavin Newsom included $9 million in the proposed state budget to fund the California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) Grant Program. This funding wouldn’t have been possible without strong leadership from Brady California chapters and our partners, including Giffords, Advance Peace, Moms Demand Action, Urban Peace Institute, Youth ALIVE!, and so more. This is the first step in ensuring community-based organizations will continue to receive funding for education, violence intervention, and more. This is how we save lives. Send a tweet showing your support to Gov. Newsom and our coalition partners who made this victory possible! [A HUGE thanks to @ca_brady, @GiffordsCourage, @WeAdvancePeace, @UrbanPeaceInst, @MomsDemand, and @YouthALIVE510 for helping ensure our communities receive the funding they deserve. California will be safer because of YOU! #CalVIP #CAleg #EndGunViolence]( [TWEET THIS]( “While the gun industry and gun lobby groups such as the National Sports Shooting Foundation and National Rifle Association have continued to push a desire for short-term profits over public safety, it is deeply disturbing and disappointing that many dealers, who understand their role in protecting the public, have refused to halt sales.” —[Brady Vice President of Policy Christian Heyne]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [DONATE]( Our work is made possible by supporters like you. [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. Emails are crucial for communicating with top members of the Brady Campaign team. 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