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Long ago “going visiting” required special attire — your Sunday dress, hat and maybe even gloves. Also a requirement — interesting stories to share with updates on family and friends.

Luckily hats and gloves are no longer required but when you visit your congressional representative this month while they are home for August recess be sure to have your personal story ready to share about how their votes impact you, your family, and your community.

There’s a lot to say to your Congressional Representative about gun violence prevention. Here are just two pieces of legislation currently being considered by our Congress where passage will have serious detrimental impact on our safety.

National Reciprocity, a law that would weaken and violate California’s strong gun laws:
This law would allow purchasers […]

Please call your Senators today!
Ask them to protect gun violence survivors and the Affordable Care Act!

In 2013 I was diagnosed with cancer. In 2014 I received medical treatment — shout out to Kaiser Permanente, Southern California — and today I’m happy to report that I continue to be well (except for that obvious and nagging weight problem.) I can honestly say that throughout the surgeries and chemotherapy, a day didn’t go by where I wasn’t grateful for the excellent care I received and that I had health insurance. Every time I paid my small co-pay, I said a quiet thank you to Women Against Gun Violence for providing medical coverage. Every time I paid my small co-pay, I gave an effusive thank you […]

We are not the shiny penny — just one of the ways I describe Women Against Gun Violence. I also like to quote Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer who has called us “the real deal.” We are not flashy. Instead, we quietly and with the knowledge and expertise that comes with decades of experience, do the hard work that gets things done.

For almost twenty-five years Women Against Gun Violence has been doing the hard work of gun violence prevention right here in Los Angeles, ground zero for the creation and enactment of some of the boldest and most effective gun laws in the nation – inspiring progress in California and throughout the nation. WAGV is proud to have played a meaningful role in the […]

Just as it is clear that our legislators place a value on all our lives with each and every vote they take, the opposite is also true. Our legislators place a value on all our lives with each and every vote they REFUSE to take.

Speaker Paul Ryan places a value on each of our lives every time he refuses to bring sensible gun legislation like universal background checks to the floor of the House for debate and vote. And it turns out that value is just 79 cents!

This morning, Congresswoman Robin Kelly, representing Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District, called out Speaker Ryan on the floor of the House of Representatives for letting the National Rifle Association buy his silence for 79 cents a life. She asked,

“Why […]

Yesterday 93 People Were Shot And Killed In America. We CAN Do Something About it!

Yesterday, on average, 93 people were shot and killed in America. We only heard about the shooting in Alexandria, Virginia that injured 4, including Representative Steve Scalise who remains in critical condition.

I cried yesterday when I woke to the news of the Alexandria shooting but not because of the shooting itself. I cried because I realized I had no compassion, no sympathy, no empathy for the Senators and Representatives who were shot, who had to run in fear. I didn’t and still don’t care because these are all people who have the power to keep shootings like this from happening. But they don’t.

I don’t wish fear, terror, and danger on anyone […]

CALL YOUR SENATORS TODAY! Tell Them to Vote NO on the American Health Care Act and to Work Together to Fix the Affordable Care Act!

Almost two weeks ago, Women Against Gun Violence held its 23rd Annual Leadership Awards Brunch. One of our guests was Kathy Shorr, photographer and author of SHOT, a book that features photographs of 101 survivors of gun violence. (Included in her book are Josh Stepakoff, a WAGV Board Member and survivor; and Marlys Nunneri, an important member of WAGV’s Speakers Bureau who was shot in the chest by her husband.) The photos are intimate and compelling. […]

Ask Your Representatives What They Are Doing To Protect Our Children From Gun Violence! (Thoughts and Prayers Don’t Count!)

Yesterday I bought Tide Laundry Pods — not a product endorsement although I do like that they are pre-measured, tidy to use, and for the most part are convenient. They do, however, come in a container that can be almost impossible to open! I recently went through my typical “opening” methods. […]

Use These Tools To Make Activism Both Easy and Effective!

I always say that as long as I have a dime, a glue gun, and a shoe, I can pretty much fix anything. I have no need for a hammer or a flat head or phillips screwdriver. There isn’t a parent I know that hasn’t used the bottom of a t-shirt instead of Kleenex, scotch tape instead of needle and thread, spit instead of water, and a kiss instead of a bandage. We all have a little bit of MacGyver in us when it comes to navigating the obstacles that impact our daily lives. […]

Call Your Senators! Tell Them To Protect The Lives Of Our Veterans!

In 1975, while attending graduate school at USC, I met the Vietnam veteran who would become my husband. He had been a medic in the war and was attending school on the GI bill. Our relationship, which lasted over 25 years, finally ended when his mental illness could no longer be accommodated or ignored. […]

Call Your Senators Today And Tell Them National Reciprocity Endangers Us All!

Fresh out of college I worked in the advertising department of an insurance company. We designed brochures and other marketing materials used by sales staff when meeting with potential and current customers. I still remember vividly working on a brochure about disability compensation. We all laughed hard and nervously, with tears streaming down our faces, as we tried to write compelling and sensitive prose that discussed how much each body part was worth. […]