BRADY ORANGE COUNTY

 FRED GUTTENBERG, BRADY SHARE OPEN LETTER FROM AMERICA’S FATHERS CALLING FOR ACTION TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE

 

Over 120 Fathers Join Guttenberg and #DadsForGunSafety to Demand Action Ahead of Father’s Day Weekend

 

https://www.bradyunited.org/press-releases/fred-guttenberg-open-letter-fathers-day

 

Washington, D.C., June 18, 2021 - Ahead of Father’s Day, Fred Guttenberg, activist and father of Jaime Guttenberg who was killed in the 2018 Parkland shooting, and Brady have published an open letter from more than 120 fathers across the country calling on American leadership to take action to prevent gun violence. The letter builds upon Guttenberg’s #DadsForGunSafety movement, adding urgency to the calls from fathers nationwide who have lost or are concerned for their children due to gun violence. According to one study, a child or teen is killed by gun violence in America every 2 hours and 34 minutes. This movement requires all fathers, including and especially gun owners who understand the need for gun safety and common-sense gun violence prevention. Read Fred’s open letter here, while any dad nationwide can join Fred in calling for change.

Fred Guttenberg explained:

“This Father’s Day, I, like thousands of other fathers across the country, will be forced to confront a day in which one of our children is not with us because of gun violence. My daughter Jaime should be with me this weekend. I should have watched her walk across the stage at her graduation this month, instead I attended the graduation ceremony to receive a commemorative shadow box in honor of her memory.

It doesn’t have to be this way and dads like myself have a vital role to play in ensuring that no future parents, no future fathers, have to lose a child to gun violence. While dads have in many ways been overlooked in the narrative of the gun violence prevention movement, we have been on the front lines of the fight to end this epidemic. This includes fathers who own firearms - you can be a gun owner and for gun safety. We want to protect our families and our communities. This effort gives us a new mantle and call.

We must protect our kids, but to do so, Congress needs to do its job. Our letter, signed by Governors, Attorneys General, state and federal representatives, actors, artists, and survivors, calls on the federal government to pass life saving legislation without delay. I’m grateful to leaders such as President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, and Majority Leader Schumer, for the work they have already done, but I am ready to help them and anyone else who will work in good faith to do more.

We can create a safer country for our kids. This Father’s Day, I’m asking every dad to join us.”

Brady President Kris Brown added:

“Fred’s moral clarity on this issue is informed by a loss that no parent and no father should have to endure. We are grateful for his voice and his tireless effort to end gun violence in our country so that no other dad has to lose a child to this preventable epidemic. #DadsForGunSafety is a needed and unifying call to action for the work that fathers all across the country are already doing. It’s time we listened to and recognized dads and the work they are doing to keep their families and communities safe. Brady thanks Fred and all fathers who are on the front lines of this work and pledges to continue to support them and their work. This is about protecting our kids.”

About #DadsForGunSafety’s Open Letter:

Fred’s open letter has been signed by over 120 fathers nationwide, including Governors, Attorneys General, Activists, Actors, Artists, members of the U.S. House of Representatives, State Representatives, and survivors. Each signatory is a father and is clear in calling for change to prevent gun violence in our country. Specific calls in the letter include:

1.    The U.S. Senate must confirm David Chipman, President Biden’s nominee to lead the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

2.    The U.S. Senate must pass the common-sense and bipartisan legislation expanding and strengthening background checks that the U.S. House of Representatives passed in March

3.    Congress must include funding for community violence prevention programs in upcoming budget agreements, including the $5 billion for such programs that President Biden included in his American Jobs Plan

4.    Congress must pass a federal ban on assault-style weapons, such as the one that was used in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida that killed Jaime Guttenberg and 16 others.

 

This letter remains open for all dads to join and to add their voice to this list of demands. The time is now to end gun violence in our country, and dads play an integral part in that effort.