Once Year Since Buffalo, Assault Weapons Continue to Wreak Havok

PLUS: Mother's Day, ASK Day, and more This week was personal for me, {NAME}. Tomorrow marks one year since a white supremacist drove 200 miles to target a predominantly Black neighborhood in my hometown of Buffalo, NY. The shooter used an assault weapon to kill ten people and injure three others while they shopped for groceries. A year later, I still find myself thinking about what my community was like before this hate-filled attack. Jefferson Ave, where the shooting took place, is the hub of Black Buffalo. As a kid, my grandparents lived and owned a store there. My family also knew the retired police officer who worked at the Tops grocery store as a security guard and was killed in the shooting. To be honest, I never thought a mass shooting like this would happen in my community. Yet the sad reality is, any one of our communities could be the next target. I’ve now accepted that my community will never be the same; the effects of this hate-filled attack will last a lifetime. My name is Jennifer Tinch and I am a program manager at Brady and I’m here to tell you this: We don’t have to live this way. We don’t need to live in a nation that is plagued by gun violence every single day. We don’t need to live in a nation where civilians are gunned down in broad daylight by weapons designed for the battlefield. We deserve to live in a nation where our lawmakers prioritize our public safety and take action to prevent senseless gun violence. That’s why I’m reaching out to you today, {NAME}. [From Buffalo, NY, and Parkland, FL, to Uvlade, TX, assault weapons continue to wreak havoc in our communities. There’s a life-saving bill sitting before Congress right now to ban these weapons of war, but it has languished since its introduction. In honor of all the communities devastated by these weapons, will you join me in calling on Congress to take action?]( [EMAIL LAWMAKERS ]( Thank you from the bottom of my heart, {NAME}, for honoring the lives lost in Buffalo with action. I know that with you on our side, we will make this the safer nation that we all deserve. Thank you, Jennifer Tinch Program Manager, Brady Tomorrow is Mother's Day. Help Us Give Moms the Best Gift of All: A Ban on Assault Weapons! Parkland, FL. Uvalde, TX. Allen, TX. Over the years, assault weapons have robbed too many kids and too many moms from the chance to celebrate Mother’s Day together. No parent should ever have to lose a child to gun violence. In light of these tragedies, moms in all corners of the country have turned their pain to action, dedicating their lives to ensure no other child’s life is cut short by gun violence. That’s why we’re calling on supporters like you to give moms the best gift of all: a ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. [So, please, if you haven’t already, call on Congress to ban these weapons of war, once and for all.]( To all of the moms who have lost children to gun violence, the moms we have lost, and the moms fighting to create a safer future: We see you, we thank you, and we honor you. Happy Mother’s Day. [MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD ](   Congratulations Team ENOUGH Graduates! We are so proud of the many Team ENOUGH members who are graduating this year. Equipped with knowledge and determination, we know you’ll continue to achieve great things — including a future free from gun violence. Team Enough Executive Council Member Anthony David (left) graduated from Harrisburg University of Science and Technology and Lucy Sarkissian from Team ENOUGH Colorado (right) graduated from both high school and the Community College of Denver where she earned her Associate’s Degree. [LEARN MORE ABOUT TEAM ENOUGH ](   Get Ready for ASK Day! ASK (Asking Saves Kids) Day is June 21 — the first day of summer, marking a time when kids typically spend more time at the homes of friends and family. Parents ask all types of questions before their children visit other homes. ASK Day is when we remind parents, guardians, and caretakers to add one more question, “Is there an unlocked gun in your home?” Every year thousands of kids are injured or killed as a result of family fire, or a shooting involving an improperly stored or misused gun found in the home. That’s why we’re calling on supporters like you to recognize ASK Day by asking about safe gun storage in your community. Use our toolkit to find easy ways to start the conversation! [USE THE ASK TOOLKIT ]( [LEARN MORE ABOUT ASK ]( In recognition of Mother’s Day, we’re sharing two episodes from the archives. From the Archives — Episode 27: A Weird, Sad, Not-So-Little Club In this episode, we’re joined by Christian Heyne and Liz Dunning — leaders at Brady who lost their mothers to gun violence. Together, we talk about how they deal with that loss, how they balance working in gun violence prevention, and what brought them to Brady. [LISTEN NOW ]( From the Archives — Episode 67: The Million Mom March, Continuing its Legacy 20 Years Later Fed up and fired up, Donna Dees Thomases started a grassroots movement with hopes of our children growing up in a safer America. It was 23 years ago tomorrow when her efforts culminated in the Million Mom March in Washington, D.C., as over 750,000 mothers, daughters, families, and advocates gathered for what was then the largest march against gun violence ever. In this episode from the archives, we’re joined by leaders and participants of the Million Mom March to discuss the march, its origins, and why we’re still fighting for a nation free from gun violence. [LISTEN NOW ]( [How the AR-15 Rifle Became America’s Most Dangerous Weapon]( TIME [America’s Youth Are Living and Dying by the Gun: Let’s Raise the Gun Age]( The Hill [Gun Reform Advocates Remain Hopeful Despite Texas House Failing to Advance Gun Control Bill]( Reckon News [Serbia Acted After Two Mass Shootings – the US Has Done Nothing Despite 200 This Year]( The Guardian Kris Brown: [The ‘Public Health Epidemic’ of Gun Violence Must be ‘a Top Priority’ at the Ballot box]( MSNBC [Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People of 2023]( Washingtonian [How a US Supreme Court ruling is transforming gun control]( Al Jazeera “While it’s easy to feel really hopeless after these series of shootings, all less than a year after Uvalde [and] 10 years after Sandy Hook, there is hope. “There are things that we can do. We are not helpless. This is not normal. It is preventable. And we can take action because we should not have to live this way.” — Tanya Schardt, Senior Counsel and Director of State and Federal Policy at Brady [READ MORE ](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( Brady 840 First Street, NE Suite 400 Washington, DC 20002 United States [unsubscribe](.