Meet Rachel: Gun Violence Prevention is in Our Hands

Rachel (center) and her parents, a month after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, at a march in Munich led by Americans living in the city. They were the featured speakers.

Girl Friday's new "For a World of Good" newsletter celebrates people working to improve our global community. In honor of the sixth anniversary of the devastating mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, our first edition spotlights Rachel Feldman. She works at GIFFORDS, which "is a leader in the movement to end gun violence in America." Through her story, we invite you to learn more about the impact of gun violence on our communities and why advocates like Rachel are hopeful for the future.

We are delighted to spotlight you! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

My name is Rachel Feldman, and I’m the Mid-Atlantic Development Manager at GIFFORDS. I’m originally from Parkland, Florida, and attended the University of Florida, where I majored in International Studies (Asia) and Economics with a minor in Nonprofit Management. I moved to DC after graduation and began working in fundraising for civil and human rights-focused nonprofits. Outside of work, I love to hike, go to concerts, and try new restaurants in the city.

What inspired you to work to end gun violence in the United States?

I’m originally from Parkland, Florida, and attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. My younger sister was there during the mass shooting on February 14, 2018. Every family has their own story of the horror of that day.

My sister’s phone died shortly after she told my parents there was an active shooter at her school. Two hours went by with my parents not knowing her status. We later found out that she had to hide in a closet for about six hours with her entire class. As soon as my dad heard the news, he drove as close as he could to the school and pretended to be a teacher so he could get on a school bus that was transporting students just so he could try to find my sister more quickly.

At the time, I was across the world studying in the Netherlands and was at a friend’s Galentine’s Day gathering when I heard the news. The next day in Utrecht was normal, as school shootings are “America’s problem.” I made it a point to discuss the shooting in every one of my classes that day, and every year since I’ve made it a point to address it to whoever I can, wherever I am on February 14th.

This year I’m writing to you.

In the immediate aftermath of a fatal mass shooting, what advice do you have for people trying to comfort a survivor or a victim’s loved ones and friends?

There’s no good way to provide comfort for something so devastating yet so preventable. Pledge to vote and support organizations working to lobby Congress to elect politicians committed to gun safety, and, if you are a gun owner, keep your guns and ammunition locked away (separately). Make a donation in their honor to an organization like GIFFORDS, which is working every day to save lives from gun violence.

On a more personal level, keep in mind that while a country can overcome a mass shooting in just a couple of weeks, the community will never be able to move on from it. My sister still thinks about it every day, and my high school will always have an active memorial site. I visited my hometown just a few weeks ago and saw that the building in which the shooting took place still has a fence around it, preventing anyone from going close to it. It’s been six years.

Some incidents of gun violence, including school shootings, have been perpetrated by minors. What steps can gun owners take to ensure that their children do not have access to their weapons?

Most gun owners understand that there is a responsibility that comes with owning a gun, but unfortunately, many don’t. Safe storage laws have become more well-known since the Oxford, Michigan, shooting in 2023. The semiautomatic handgun used in the shooting was purchased for the shooter by his parents and then left unsecured in the home: The cable lock it came with was never used, and the code for the gun safe the family purchased never changed from its 0-0-0 factory settings.

At the time of the Oxford shooting, Michigan had no safe storage law. Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a safe storage measure into law in April 2023; the new law takes effect on February 13, 2024. It requires all gun owners in the state who have children in their homes to store their firearms with either a cable lock or in a gun safe. GIFFORDS worked closely with lawmakers and Governor Whitmer to pass this critical legislation.

The GIFFORDS Gun Owners for Safety coalition has mobilized 100,000 gun owners around the country to resemble an unofficial counterpart to the NRA. These are proud, responsible gun owners who help us in the fight to enact safer gun laws.

The news in the U.S. is filled with tragic stories about gun violence, from horrific domestic altercations to catastrophic mass events. And yet, these crimes persist. How can we ensure that we do not become desensitized to gun violence?

It’s important to me to speak about my experience being from Parkland as much as I can. When someone meets me, they don’t expect that a mass shooting has impacted me. Parkland used to be rated the safest city in Florida. It’s full of upper-class suburban white folks - which is much of the reason that shooting got so much attention. At the same time, it’s important to note that Black and Brown communities are suffering from gun violence on a daily basis. Black Americans are twelve times more likely than white Americans to die by firearm. Everyone can be impacted by gun violence- white, black, rich, poor, in a movie theater, in a synagogue, in a church, in a bowling alley- no one is safe from guns until we have more gun safety legislation in place.

What would you ask the candidates if you could ask one question about U.S. gun policies during the 2024 presidential debates?

Do you think that the right to own a gun with no restriction or background check is more important than saving the life of an innocent child?

Have any states implemented laws, regulations, or community safety solutions that could serve as a template for other states?

In California, Governor Newson signed more than a dozen gun violence prevention bills in 2023, including our top priority, AB 28, which made CA the first state to tax the firearm industry to annually fund Community Violence Intervention (CVI) programs. In 2023, in Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed background checks on all gun sales, safe storage, an extreme risk (a.k.a. “red flag”) law, and a bill to disarm people convicted of domestic violence. In Minnesota, Governor Tim Walz signed background checks and an extreme risk bill into law. In both states, GIFFORDS worked closely with lawmakers to develop legislation and with advocates to get the bills across the finish line.

You can read more about states’ rankings on gun safety laws through GIFFORDS’ annual Gun Law Scorecard.

As an advocate in a field peppered with painful stories and policy hurdles, how do you reset and recharge to continue your activism?

As a fundraiser, my job is to connect with people about something we both care a lot about and impart the importance of channeling their passion into tangible support (which, in my case, takes the form of a donation). I'm fortunate to spend my days with folks who are already deeply committed to this cause, and I'm motivated by this commitment that I witness every day. That's what keeps me going.

This question also makes me laugh because right now, in my downtime, I’m reading “A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy,” a book written by Sue Klebold, the mother of one of the Columbine shooters. I do believe that it’s important for me to know as much as I can about this topic as possible. But I do other things as well. I work out in some form every day, which helps keep my mind at peace. I love to cook (but mostly eat) after a long day. I like to be outside as much as possible. The key, though, is logging on at 9:00 am and logging off at 5:00 pm. I do that every day.

What can we all do today to help GIFFORDS end gun violence?

This truly is a grassroots movement, and there are many ways to get involved. First, you can donate if you’re able. We have a C4, a C3, and a PAC, which means we are lobbying Congress, donating to gun safety champions’ campaigns, researching and writing policy, and supporting community violence intervention programs. You can donate wherever is most meaningful to you.

If you aren’t able to donate, you could ask someone who has the means to donate in your honor. Aside from donating, the more people who know what we’re doing, the more likely we are to succeed in this movement. Share our Gun Law Scorecard, follow us on social media @giffords_org, sign up for our actions, or join one of our coalitions like our Gun Owners for Safety.

If you work for a company with a corporate social responsibility initiative, tell them why it would mean a lot to you for your company to stand alongside GIFFORDS in our Impact Network. The more people that understand that we were founded by gun owners and our goal isn’t to “take away your guns”, the more we’ll be able to change laws that actually are in line with almost all Americans. After all, 90% of Americans support background checks on all gun sales.

Are you hopeful for the future?

Yes. Gun safety is now a key voter issue in this next election, and the same couldn’t have been said before the shooting in my hometown. We hear from congresspeople every day that the more they hear from their constituents that they want gun safety legislation, the more likely they are to vote in favor of it. And the numbers show it. We need to continue to build this movement, get more people talking about it, and understand that the goal is gun safety. We have the first Office on Gun Violence Prevention, and we passed the first federal gun safety legislation in thirty years in 2022- the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. We have a long way to go, but this is in our hands - vote, vote, vote. And as Gabby says, “Fight, fight, fight every day.”

I wouldn’t be here if I weren’t hopeful.

Stay involved. Follow @giffords_org on social media and reach out at any time to me at rfeldman@giffords.org.

Our Girl Friday team is incredibly grateful for Rachel Feldman's bravery, wisdom, and words of encouragement. We hope that you will be inspired to take action - the first step can be as simple as visiting GIFFORDS to learn more. If you would like to be featured (or suggest someone else) in a future edition of "For a World of Good," please email pixie@deargirlfriday.com. We look forward to meeting you!