Step 1: Educate Yourself
Step 2: Educate Your Community
- A. Where to Find Like-Minded People
- B. Ideas for Planning An Event
- C. Messaging and Drafting an Opinion Editorial or Letter to the Editor
- D. Communicating with your Elected Officials
We suggest you plan an event in a community group you already operate in day to day. However, here are some others you may want to get involved with:
League of Women’s Voters– They have a local chapter in every state.
Indivisible – They have hundreds of very local chapters across the country.
If you’re looking to attend a gun violence prevention event, there are three events that happen every year across the country:
June 2nd & 3rd: Gun violence prevention activists across the country wear orange for National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Many cities also light up buildings and hold events to coincide with the national day of awareness.
Weekend of September 20-25th: Concert Across America to End Gun Violence, a national coalition of over 100 organizations partner to put on a weekend of hundreds of musical events ranging from farmers market concerts to stadium size shows.
Week of December 14th: National Vigil for Victims of Gun Violence, spearheaded by Newtown Action Alliance, encompasses events across the US in remembrance of victims of gun violence.
Be inspired and watch the 2018 March for Our Lives student protest in Boston!
Sample formats for a gun violence prevention event in your home town based on how much time you have.
Our Gun Movie Guide provides a list of 14 different movies, their run time, and why we like each one.
Throughout the year there are gun violence prevention events that you could plan your event around:
June 2nd & 3rd: Gun violence prevention activists across the country wear orange for National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Many cities also light up buildings and hold events to coincide with the national day of awareness.
Weekend of September 20-25th: Concert Across America to End Gun Violence, a national coalition of over 100 organizations partner to put on a weekend of hundreds of musical events ranging from farmers market concerts to stadium size shows.
Week of December 14th: National Vigil for Victims of Gun Violence, spearheaded by Newtown Action Alliance, encompasses events across the US in remembrance of victims of gun violence.
Resources for Writing Your Own Op-Ed:
The University of Kansas “Community Tool Box” section on Op-eds
Draft your own op-ed using our template.
Examples of Op-Eds:
Susan Breslin of Folly Beach, SC writes on gun violence in the Post and Courier.
Massachusetts State Rep. David Linsky writes passionately on why Massachusetts needs an extreme risk protection order in the Boston Globe
The Indivisible Guide is an incredible resource to use in contacting your elected officials.
We also suggest re-working the Op-Ed Template to send as a letter to your elected official, but be sure to include your full name and address and a mention that you are a constituent. In addition, be sure to mention any previous actions that the elected official has done that you support or oppose and any action that you want them to take.