A View From the Campaign – June Pride, Action and Remembrance

From the Executive Director

Hello and welcome to our June Newsletter:

The month of June can be many things to different people, including: high school graduation celebrations, the end of school/beginning of Summer. For The Campaign, June is about Gun Violence Awareness and Pride Month.

On June 12th, we will mark the 7 year remembrance for the 49 victims and 53 injured during the Pulse Night Club massacre. Look for our posts early next week and please act supporting federal legislation to ban military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

Sam Schwartz is the cousin of Alex Schachter – a student shot and killed in his English classroom with an AR-15 during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting. Sam has organized a week-long sit-in outside the U.S. Capitol calling on the Senate to pass the federal assault weapons ban. See more details below.

On the campus front, we celebrated a victory in Arizona a few weeks ago, as Governor Hobbs vetoed guns on campus legislation. So far in 2023, a number of guns on campus bills were defeated/died, except for a loss in West Virginia and a pending bill in New York.

In Georgia, we received news that the Georgia State Supreme Court finally ruled in the 2017 lawsuit (Knox v. Georgia) brought by college professors opposing the 2016 guns on campus law was now moot. Read our press release below.

On June 19th, The Campaign will recognize Juneteenth – look for our posts on that day.

The Campaign is embarking on its 15th year in the fight against arming college campuses.  and plans are underway for our Fall Benefit. Look for an announcement coming soon about a planned special event marking this occasion.

Congratulations to those seniors graduating this year and best of luck as you move forward.

Finally, please consider making a donation in support of The Campaign.  This work cannot happen without your generous support.

Thanks for all you do!

Andy Pelosi, Executive Director/Co-Founder

Georgia Supreme Court Decision – Guns on Campus (Knox v. Georgia)

This case was brought 6 years ago by faculty members identified by our Program Director, Kathryn Grant, from universities across Georgia. The lawsuit was filed in response to legislation, signed by former Governor Deal in 2017, that changed Georgia law to allow loaded, concealed handguns to be carried in many places on public college and university campuses. The court ruled against the plaintiffs on the grounds of “mootness,” never reaching the merits of the faculty members’ argument: the illegality of the state legislature subverting these universities’ control over their own campuses, a principle long enshrined in the Georgia Constitution.   Read our full statement here

Victory in Arizona – Thank You For The Veto, Governor Hobbs

The Campaign applauds Governor Hobbs’ veto, as she understands that guns have no place in Arizona’s higher education spaces.  Governor Hobbs veto is the second veto of guns on campus legislation in AZ – former Governor Brewer did the same thing in 2011.

New York State 

S.1407 will change current state law, which prohibits guns on New York’s public colleges and universities. Your help is needed now to defeat this bill.

Click here to send a message to your New York State Senator.

Celebrating Pride Month

Gun Violence Awareness Month

Remembering Pulse Night Club – 7 Years Later

On June 12th, it will be 7 years since the Pulse Night Club Massacre took place in Orlando, FL where a gunman used a military-style assault rifle and a semi-automatic pistol to kill 49 people and injure another 53.  Most of those killed and injured during this horrific event were Latino. The day after this massacre, The Campaign worked with Equality Florida, the League of Women Voters of Florida and other allies to form the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence.  Our first act was to call on former Gov. Scott and the Legislature to reconvene and pass a state ban on military-style assault weapons and high capacity magazines.  Seven years later we are still fighting. During Pride Month, let’s honor with action, those killed and injured at Pulse by pushing for a federal assault weapons ban.

Support The Gun Violence Survivors Sit In in Washington DC:

Tell the US Senate to Pass the Assault Weapons Ban Now

Starting on June 6th and running through at least June 12th, a group of gun violence survivors lead by Sam Schwartz, whose cousin Alex Schachter, was killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas H.S. in 2018 are participating in a sit-in outside the U.S. Capitol urging Congress to vote on the federal assault weapons ban bills. The Campaign is also present supporting the survivors.  You can help by contacting your Congressmembers urging a vote on both bills. Click to take action now.