As Women Against Gun Violence enters its 25th year in its fight to end gun violence, we are proud of our accomplishments. We have helped pass legislation that:
- Removed junk guns from our streets
- Banned assault weapons
- Requires locking devices to be sold with all handguns
- Requires firearms dealers to record ammunition sales
- Requires background checks of firearms-dealer employees
- Bans high capacity magazines
- Requires gun owners to keep their guns locked up in their homes
- And now working with the City of Los Angeles to require the posting of suicide prevention information in gun stores and ranges
Instrumental to these efforts are the many gun violence survivors who have shared — with us, the media, and our policymakers — the real life consequences of America’s gun violence epidemic.
Over the course of this year, 12 gun violence survivors will share their stories of grief and loss. This grief and loss is the legacy of the National Rifle Association, gun manufacturers, and those that push a guns-everywhere agenda. It is also the legacy of our Federal policymakers who remain unwilling to pass the laws that will help keep our communities safe. We are grateful to our storytellers who share their stories to make a difference and to encourage the action needed to prevent gun violence. We wish our legislators had the same courage.
Marsha Shoushtari talks about the life and loss of her son, Bijan