June Newsletter – Wear Orange And Read On

From the Executive Director

Welcome to our June Newsletter,

June is Gun Violence Awareness Month. This weekend is Wear Orange, which was initially established to honor Hadiya Pendleton, a promising young Chicagoan whose bright future was ended by gun violence. Please join The Campaign and our other gun violence prevention colleagues around the country by wearing Orange this weekend AND finding an event near year to take action.

We are following up on last month’s newsletter with additional news of a Victory for campus safety in Colorado, where Governor Polis signed legislation repealing the current policy of allowing guns on college campuses. This is the first time in The Campaign’s history that we have seen a repeal, which is great news for campus safety in Colorado. The bill also prohibits guns in other sensitive places.

Not to be outdone, Delaware would like to codify the prohibition of guns on campus and you can support that legislation below.

For over 20 years, I have worked in support of a strong federal ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. The Campaign continues this support and we ask you to please take action below on this important policy measure along with supporting Ethan’s Law, requiring safe gun storage.

June is also Pride Month and next week The Campaign will honor the 49 people killed and 63 wounded at the Pulse Night Club in Orlando in 2016.

You can also check out the MomsRising podcast below where I appeared talking about assault weapons and arming teachers.

We are also pleased to welcome our newest intern Ali Housteau from the University of Maryland (read her story below).

Finally, the Campaign is making a difference in fighting for safe campus communities around the country: the veto of guns on campus in Wyoming; the repeal of guns on campus in Colorado; the expected veto of guns on campus in Arizona; and the push to keep guns off campus by law in Delaware.  We are the voice for higher education and we need your support today.

Thanks for all you do,

Andy Pelosi, Executive Director/Co-Founder

Updates From The States

Colorado 

VICTORY!  Last Friday, Governor Polis signed SB24-131 into law, which among several things made Colorado the first state to REPEAL guns on campus!  In addition, the new law prohibits guns in election centers, the state capitol, local government offices, and pre-schools.

The University of Colorado Board of Regents is moving forward with a final vote on reinforcing the new law with their own policy of prohibiting guns on campus (more to come here).
Photo Credit: Colorado’s Maroon Bells by Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Arizona

The Arizona Senate has already passed SB 1198 – legislation to force guns on campus.  The House will vote on this bill any day now.

SB 1198 will change current AZ law which permits schools to prohibit firearms on campus by allowing loaded, concealed handguns to be carried nearly anywhere on campus.

Click here: Tell the Arizona House to oppose guns on campus today.

Delaware

HB 311 is heading to the House floor and it will prohibit the carrying of loaded, concealed handguns by non-law enforcement individuals in Delaware’s K-12 schools, vocational schools, along with private and public college and university campuses (with certain exceptions).

Passing this legislation will send a strong message that our educational institutions should be havens for learning.

Click here: Tell the Delaware House to Support HB-311

Federal Update

There are two bills that need your attention:  

1) Assault Weapons Ban
According to FBI statistics, 1 in 5 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty are killed with an assault weapon.  Similarly, in the vast majority of school shootings, the weapon of choice is an assault weapon with a high capacity magazine.

2) Safe Gun Storage
Ethan’s Law requires the safe storage of firearms wherever kids are present. This bill will turn the best practices of responsible firearm ownership into the law of the land.

Tell your Members of Congress that this is the time for action. Pass these bills today.

Campaign ED Andy Pelosi Appears on the MomsRising Podcast

A New Face at The Campaign – Ali Housteau

Honoring Pride Month

June is also Pride Month. The Campaign supports creating a safe and supportive environment for LGBTQ+ people in our workplaces and communities.

It’s been 8 years since the horrific shooting massacre at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, FL where 49 people were killed and another 63 wounded.

The Campaign helped formed the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence (now Prevent Gun Violence Florida) the day after this massacre and we keep fighting for a ban on assault weapons in Florida and nationwide.