Weekly Update: Hold McConnell accountable, #WearOrange, & Breonna Taylor

Black lives matter. {NAME}, According to the Gun Violence Archive, there were 56 mass shootings in May — the most mass shootings in a single month since the database began tracking in 2013. Even with schools closed and businesses shuttered, gun violence has not taken a break during the coronavirus pandemic. It happens every single day in America: in incidents of domestic violence, suicide, police violence, and other senseless tragedies. And tragically, these incidents don’t always grab national attention or make breaking news headlines. Unlike a cure for the coronavirus, there won’t be a cure to the epidemic of gun violence. But it doesn't have to be this way. We must pass legislation now to prevent gun violence. And that means holding Mitch McConnell accountable. [Mitch McConnell has single handedly blocked legislation to prevent gun violence for nearly two years. Please join us in demanding McConnell pass lifesaving legislation NOW!]( [ADD YOUR NAME]( Why We #WearOrange for June and Gun Violence Awareness Month [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( June is Gun Violence Awareness Month and yesterday, June 5, was [National Gun Violence Awareness Day]( — also known as #WearOrange Day. The movement to #WearOrange for gun violence prevention was started by the friends of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, who in 2013 was shot and killed outside her high school. While gun violence affects every community, it is an indisputable fact that gun violence disproportionately affects Black and Brown communities. In order to end gun violence, we must fight systemic racism in America. We will continue to #WearOrange this weekend to honor Hadiya and all victims of gun violence like her — including Black children and teens, who are eight times more likely to die from gun homicide than their white peers. [Read our full statement with Team ENOUGH to learn more.]( We (Still) Demand Justice for Breonna Taylor [Justice for Breonna Taylor]( Brady Organizing Director Robert Disney joins his husband and sons in honoring Breonna Taylor in a protest yesterday outside the White House. Yesterday wasn't just National Gun Violence Awareness Day — it was also what should have been Breonna Taylor's 27th birthday. But on March 13, Taylor was shot and killed by police in her home in Louisville, Kentucky. We cannot forget Breonna Taylor. And, we cannot accept less than full accountability in her case. As protests against police violence continue across America, we must continue to #SayHerName and honor Breonna Taylor and all Black women who have been killed by police. [Read our statement and learn more about how you can demand answers and justice for Breonna Taylor's family.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Gun Owners Talk About Their Roles in Preventing Gun Violence We convened a panel of gun owners to discuss what gun owners can do to promote a culture of responsible firearm ownership, racism within America's gun culture, and what being a responsible gun owner means to them. We were joined by Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05), Kayla Hicks of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV), and Mark House, chair of Brady's New York Regional Leadership Council and a lifelong hunter and target shooter. [WATCH OUR PANEL DISCUSSION NOW]( Brady staff and members observing National Gun Violence Awareness Day in California, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Tweet us your photos by tagging [@bradybuzz]( and using hashtag #WearOrange.A Conversation About Gun Safety with Rep. Sharice Davids Join Vice President of Programs Dr. Kyleanne Hunter and Brady-endorsed candidate Rep. Sharice Davids (KS-03) for our virtual event on Tuesday, June 9, at 11 a.m. ET! We will discuss current events, safe gun storage, bipartisan gun safety legislation, and how Rep. Davids will champion gun violence prevention in Congress. [RSVP ON FACEBOOK]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Brady Legal Defend California’s Ban on Assault Weapons This week, Brady filed an [amicus brief]( in support of California’s Assault Weapons Control Act and its defense, gun safety champion California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. The opposition argues that California has overstepped its boundaries in regulating assault weapons, but we know that easy access to assault rifles threaten all Americans’ public health and safety. Assault weapons are designed to inflict the most damage as quickly as possible. Just one year ago, California’s Gilroy Garlic Festival was terrorized by a white supremacist armed with an assault rifle. Since then, there have been at least four mass shootings in California involving assault-style weapons that killed 41 and injured over 90 others. Regulating assault weapons to protect public safety is essential to saving lives. [Read more about our amicus brief urging the court to uphold this lifesaving law.]( [READ MORE]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🎧 [2020, Guns, and the Insurrectionist Idea]( The idea that citizens have the right to take up arms against the government has been promoted and popularized by the gun lobby and President Trump. We talk with Josh Horwitz of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) about how insurrectionism threatens democracy. [Listen now.]( 🎧 [Extreme Risk Protection Orders with Raul Campillo]( Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) are lifesaving policy tools that allow families or law enforcement officers to petition a court to temporarily restrict a person’s access to guns. We talk with Raul Campillo, a San Diego prosecutor, deputy attorney, and member of the city's GVRO unit about how extreme risk laws prevent tragedies and save lives. [Listen now.]( 🎧 From the Archives: [Who Is the City Livable For?]( In this episode from March, we talk with Farooq Ameen Al-Said of 1Hood, a Black-owned and Black-led community organization. We discuss the racist history behind America's gun laws, white supremacy and gun violence, and the positive change that happens when the arts and activism combine. [Listen now.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Brady Donor of the Week: Richard and Peggy Hudson of Lakeforest Park, WA Richard and Peggy Hudson began supporting Brady when it was called Handgun Control Inc. in the early 1970s. Having both lived through Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, and after Richard lost a cousin to firearm suicide, gun violence became a personal issue for both. Richard and Peggy find the progress made in other countries like New Zealand inspirational, and they hope that the gradual change in America leads to similar action. In Washington State, there’s a movement for a number of different gun safety measures, including restrictions on high-capacity magazines, which gives them hope for the future. [Read our full Q&A session with Richard and Peggy on why they support Brady.]( [Parkland School Shooting Survivor Leads Hundreds of Protestors from White House to Capitol]( WUSA [Black Gun Violence Prevention Group Calls For Police Reform]( The Hill [New Stanford Study Shows that Handgun Ownership Correlates to Higher Risk of Death by Suicide]( Brady“I’m a Black woman, and I am not exempt from getting shot or gunned down by the police. And...I’m out here fighting not just for me, but for my little brothers, my father, my mother." — [Team ENOUGH leader Aalayah Eastmond]( [Justice for Breonna Taylor]( On February 14, 2020, Aalayah Eastmond holds a photo honoring the 17 students and teacher killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. We are proud to support Team ENOUGH Executive Council Member and Parkland survivor Aalayah Eastmond. This week, she helped organize hundreds of people in marching to the United States Capitol to protest gun violence that disproportionately impacts Black and Brown communities. Once arriving at the Capitol, the organizers came up with a list of demands to prevent future tragedies, like funding violence interrupters in communities of color and calling for D.C. statehood. The following day, the group held a die-in to continue their calls for justice. Aalayah is doing incredible work, and we are in awe with deep gratitude for her leadership! [Read more about Aalayah’s activism]( me, for the past years [after] surviving my high school shooting, I wanted to focus on gun violence prevention. But…a lot of people had forgotten that gun violence is every day for Black and Brown youth, so I took that initiative to show that Black lives matter as well in terms of gun violence prevention.” — [Team ENOUGH's Aalayah Eastmond in WUSA]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [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. To put an end to the gun violence epidemic, we need you on board every step of the way. 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