The Time is NOW for Gun Law Reform

We join with our partners to call on the Biden Administration to take action on gun violence.

Read our full letter here.

 

 

 

 

 

In the News:

  • Northampton police department creates an unarmed response unit.
  • MA Attorney General Healey joins a coalition calling on U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to close the ATF loophole on ghost guns.
  • In Orange, California a mass shooting includes a child shot dead.
  • In Wilmington, North Carolina, a mass shooting ends with 3 dead and more injured.

Take Action to Regulate Ghost Guns!

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Gun Safety Pledge

We remain steadfast in advocating for gun law reform.

Please take the #GunSafetyPledge with us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WATCH: SHV Founder, John Rosenthal, speaks on the current status of gun law reform for the country after multiple high-profile mass shootings.

On our Newsfeed:

  • Massachusetts proves that we don’t have to live with mass shootings.
  • Community members and leaders debate on the ongoing gun violence in Springfield.
  • In Maryland, a shooter kills four before killing himself.
  • Two dead, eight injured at Virginia Beach.
  • Lawmakers rehash arguments for gun control.
  • The White House response to gun violence frustrates victim families.
  • Congressman Mike Thompson reviews the benefits of the Background Checks Expansion Act 2021.
  • Five key facts about gun violence.
  • How the U.S. compares to the World on gun violence deaths.
  • Neither the NRA, nor Wayne LaPierre have made policy statements about the deadly shootings in Georgia and Colorado.

We celebrate Community Justice Action Fund’s win on successfully advocating for funding directives to address gun violence in communities of color.  CONGRATS!!

The Time is NOW

Stop Handgun Violence releases a joint statement with Gun Violence Prevention Organizations

“We join with our partners to call on the Biden Administration to take action on gun violence. America eagerly awaits the return to normalcy after over a year of pandemic-related restrictions, but we cannot let that be a return to mass shootings and inaction on gun violence. Gun violence is an urgent issue and it must be treated as so.”

~ Zoe Grover, Executive Director of Stop Handgun Violence

The Time is Now It’s Not Enough to Say the Words.

It’s Time to Do The Work. Following the recent mass shootings in Atlanta, Chicago, and Boulder, President Joe Biden addressed the nation and pledged that he does not “need to wait another minute, let alone an hour, to take common sense steps that will save lives.”

Read the full letter here:  The Time Is Now (FinalLetter)

Stop Handgun Violence Response to Boulder, CO King Sooper’s Shooting

Yesterday, news of another mass shooting broke. According to the Gun Violence Archive, this is the 102nd mass shooting with four or more victims this year. That’s more mass shootings than days of the year so far in 2021. Although the details of this horrific massacre are continuing to emerge, initial reports indicate that the gunman used an AR15 military style assault weapon and large capacity ammunition magazines to outgun police and kill as many people as possible in a short amount of time.

In Colorado, gun owners are not required to license or register their firearms including assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines like the ones used in this attack and the Aurora theater attack.  In addition, there is no limit on the number of firearms that can be purchased at one time, and gun owners are not required to report lost and stolen firearms.

Just ten days ago a regulation banning assault weapons in the city of Boulder, CO was struck down by a court and the NRA celebrated this decision as a victory.

“While the details of this horrific massacre continue to emerge, we mourn with the families of the victims of this attack and the Boulder community” said John Rosenthal, founder and chairman of Stop Handgun Violence. “While the shooter’s motives are still unclear, one thing is blatantly obvious: The time for action is now. The gun lobby’s unconscionable priority of guns over lives has disastrous consequences. In Massachusetts, we’ve closed loopholes and strengthened our gun laws and we now experience the lowest gun death rate and lowest gun related costs. But every state is not like Massachusetts. Over 100 Americans die each day due to gun violence and the unrestricted access to firearms in this country is a dangerous policy with dangerous consequences.”

 

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Another mass shooting

Last night ten individuals, including a local police officer, were murdered in Boulder, CO by an individual with an assault weapon. Until recently assault weapons were banned by the city of Boulder, but only a week ago, the NRA claimed victory when a court ruling stripped Boulder, CO of their local ban on AR-15 rifles and high capacity magazines.

We must take action to stop the NRA from making our communities less safe. Today the Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on gun violence prevention. Tell our federally elected officials it’s time for gun reform in America. Take Action Today!

 

Action for Assault Weapons Regulation

Action for Background Checks

Action for CDC Research

 

Violence against Asian Americans has been on the rise since COVID, but racism isn’t new. We stand with the AAPI community and agree that last week’s mass shooting in Atlanta was racially motivated. This hate combined with easy access to guns results in a deadly ending that we’ve witnessed time and again.

Congressman Warnock of Georgia asks for reasonable gun reform after mass shootings in Atlanta.

In other news:

  • Mass shootings surge in Massachusetts.
  • Rhode Island state representative threatened for cosponsoring gun reform bills.
  • New research finds more people die in a school shootings when an armed officer is present.
  • Gun violence is the second leading cause of death for American children aged 1-19 years in 2020.
  • Gun Violence Archive tracks 100+ mass shootings so far in 2021.
  • Giffords releases new report on armed hate and gun laws. Learn more here.

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Massachusetts 50TH in the Nation

The CDC released its’ 2019 data and we’re proud to see Massachusetts at the bottom of the list. Read more about our Massachusetts model for gun violence reduction and prevention here.

In the News:

  • Amber Ward tells her story as a trauma survivor from a drive-by shooting in Springfield.
  • Woman shot dead at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Boston.
  • Maryland lawmakers override Governor Hogan’s veto on background checks for private gun sales.
  • Selfies with guns on a New York party bus attracts NYPD’s attention.
  • A mass shooting in Philadelphia injures 8 people.
  • Ethan’s Law for safe gun storage expected to pass in Congress.
  • New York Congresswoman Malone introduces the Gun Trafficking Prevention Act.
  • Three years after the Parkland shooting, President Biden advocates for gun law reform.
  • The NRA owes over $3M in taxes and penalties.
  • A class action suit in Canada against Smith & Wesson moves forward.
  • 3D printed guns are becoming more accessible and lethal.

Resources:

  • #reachout is a media campaign to get crisis resources into communities hardest-hit by gun violence.
  • #ban3Dguns is our email petition to pressure Congress to ban 3D-printed guns.
  • #shamecards are postcards by Change the Ref sent to Congress to take action on gun law reform.

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Massachusetts ranks 50th for gun deaths in most recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released 2019 data that ranked Massachusetts 50thin the nation for gun deaths per capita, with New York and New Jersey ranking 49th and 48th.

 

“We are extremely proud of the work we have done in Massachusetts since 1994 to reduce gun violence, gun laws save lives” said John Rosenthal, Founder and Chairman of Stop Handgun Violence. “We are an urban state with the most effective gun laws and first in the nation consumer protection regulations for the gun industry and once again we have the LOWEST gun death rate in the Nation. This is no coincidence. But we know that there is still more to do. Early reports have shown that gun violence in Massachusetts increased during the pandemic by as much as 50% in some cities ,including Boston. To make matters worse there have been a surge in gun sales since the stay-at-home orders, the effects of which will be felt for years.”

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Check out our report “The Massachusetts Model for Reduction and Prevention of Gun Violence”.

Stop Handgun Violence (SHV) is a Massachusetts based non-profit organization committed to the prevention of gun violence through education, public awareness, effective law enforcement and common-sense gun laws. SHV has been the lead advocate in Massachusetts for enactment of the most effective gun violence prevention laws and first in the nation consumer protection regulations. The organization does not seek to restrict Constitutional rights, but advocates only for common sense legislation that will help save lives. For more information, go to www.stophandgunviolence.org

Gun Violence in Black Communities

Research from the Violence Policy Center (VPC) shows that black homicide victimization rate is 4x’s the national homicide victimization rate, and greater than 6x’s the homicide victimization rate for whites. Over 85% of black homicide victims are shot and killed with guns. Read VPC annual research reports here.

VPC also published a 2017 report on the impact of continuous violence in communities:

“In the context of gun violence prevention, research suggests that living in violent communities compromises residents’ ability to break intergenerational cycles of violence. Without large-scale interventions, a neighborhood becomes effectively unable to protect itself against the perpetuation of a culture that is normed in violence.”

We support and advocate state funding for organizations like UTEC and LDB Peace Institute who actively work to break the cycle of violence and heal their communities. Thank you!

 

 

It only took 10 minutes for the shooter to kill 7 coworkers at Edgewater Technologies in Wakefield on Dec. 26, 2000. A jury took 3 days to pronounce him guilty of first-degree murder. This is not how we want to be remembered. Take action – send this postcard to Congress at shamecards.org and ask for gun law reform.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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In a Pandemic, Domestic Violence Surges

Domestic violence is surging during the Pandemic. In 29 states and D.C., firearms restrictions aren’t automatically included in temporary orders of protection.

In Massachusetts, we do include firearms removal when a domestic violence protection order is filed.

 

 

 

In the News:

  • The Extreme Risk Protective Order was used 39 times in Massachusetts since 2018.
  • In Maine, the Extreme Risk Protective Order Law was applied 13 times to prevent gun violence.
  • Colorado Extreme Risk Protective Order proving to be useful for police.
  • Georgia Congresswoman Greene supported execution of Democratic congressional leaders on her Facebook page.
  • Newark police records no-shots fired in 2020 for the first time after reform.
  • Texas Supreme Court rejects Alex Jones request to toss out Sandy Hook lawsuits.
  • Virginia passes bill banning firearms at polling places.
  • Discredited John Lott ousted from the Justice Department under the new Administration.
  • Canada legislators will vote to designate the Proud Boys as a terrorist group.

Information is power.

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Bernie says we need a new billboard in Boston!

Send us your creative ideas.

 

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