Gun Violence Prevention is in Our Hands
This week, our Girl Friday team had always intended to honor the sixth anniversary of the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, but we were even more compelled to talk about gun violence in the U.S. after the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl victory parade. We are enormously grateful to Rachel Feldman of GIFFORDS for talking to us about the impact of mass shootings on families and communities, as well as what personally drives her work to end gun violence.
The Feldman family's Parkland story.
On February 14, 2018, Rachel Feldman was studying abroad, but her younger sister was attending Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. After Rachel's sister informed their parents about an active shooter alert at the school, her phone died. Rachel said, "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." Rachel is committed to telling her family's story whenever possible in an effort to end gun violence. She is now the Mid-Atlantic Development Manager at GIFFORDS, and we proudly highlighted her story and advocacy in the first edition of Girl Friday's new LinkedIn newsletter, "For a World of Good."
Model laws and regulations for community safety.
GIFFORDS is led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle "Gabby" Giffords. Her team's incredible advocacy campaigns have been instrumental in changing perceptions and laws. Last year, California's Governor Newson signed more than a dozen gun violence prevention bills, including GIFFORDS' top priority law, which made California the first state to tax the firearm industry to fund Community Violence Intervention programs annually. In Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has been extremely proactive. Among other pieces of legislation, she signed a safe storage measure into law in April 2023, which took effect this week.
In the wake of mass shootings, recovery is gradual.
We asked Rachel how to comfort loved ones after a mass shooting. Here's what she told us: "There’s no good way to provide comfort for something so devastating yet so preventable. 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."
"Fight, fight, fight, every day" with GIFFORDS.
Donate. In "For a World of Good," Rachel said that donating to GIFFORDS would help the grassroots movement to end gun violence. GIFFORDS is engaged in "lobbying Congress, donating to gun safety champions’ campaigns, researching and writing policy, and supporting community violence intervention programs."
Join. To uplift Gabby Giffords' call to "fight, fight, fight, every day," you can follow @giffords_org on social media, join one of their coalitions such as Gun Owners for Safety, or ask your employer to participate in GIFFORDS' Impact Network.
Share. There are numerous myths regarding gun safety advocacy. Rachel said, "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. Ninety percent of Americans support background checks on all gun sales."
Global affairs, 100% powered by women. The Girl Friday consulting firm opened in August 2023! Our advisors help clients navigate complex policy and communications challenges. Seven percent of our standard retainers and project fees are donated to charitable organizations that align with our "for a world of good" mission.
Speaking of For a World of Good, we have a new newsletter. Our first For a World of Good LinkedIn newsletter featured Rachel Feldman. You'll want to subscribe ASAP to ensure you see the next issue. Do you know someone who should be highlighted? We want to celebrate them! Feel free to DM us on social or email us here.
The Bold & Bookish book club is back! We're reading "The Avocado Debate" by Honor May Eldridge, a food systems expert, and "Myrlie and Medgar" by Joy-Ann Reid, an award-winning journalist. Eldridge explores the social and environmental impacts of the avocado trade, and Reid shares untold stories of Civil Rights icons Myrlie and Medgar Evers. We support independent booksellers and receive a small commission for Girl Friday Bookshop purchases.
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High Society - Art, Culture, & Sports
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