Gun Control

This upcoming February 14 marks five years since the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. And although we’re only in the second month of 2023, the United States has already experienced more than 40 mass shootings — including in Monterey Park, California, Half Moon Bay, California, and Lakeland, Florida. These senseless tragedies are a disturbing reminder of how gun violence continues to threaten the lives of all Americans.

In these devastating moments, it is imperative that we remain authentic when communicating about gun violence. It remains particularly important to recognize how this crisis disproportionately affects Black communities and other communities of color across the country.

Fenton’s gun safety task force, based on our extensive work with a multitude of gun safety and violence prevention clients, has developed the following comprehensive messaging guide to ensure elected officials, community and nonprofit leaders, public relations experts, and others are able to communicate on the issue of gun violence genuinely, factually and respectfully.

Crafting Values-Driven Messaging

All messaging on gun violence, regardless of whether it is for a rapid response moment or to acknowledge a previous tragedy, should be structured around four key components:

• Values;
• The problem;
• The solution;
• Action.

Doing so will allow your audience to feel included in a shared goal and in mutual agreement with thousands of others in the gun safety space. It also pinpoints the issue(s) they’re up against, learn of the solution to said issue — whether it involves specific policies or communal actions — and learn what they can do to help see the solutions across the finish line.

Rapid Response Statements on Mass Shootings

When developing statements to address tragic events like mass shootings, Fenton’s gun safety task force recommends the following:

• Use trusted news sources: Wait for a trusted news outlet and source to confirm the event before issuing a statement.
• Cite only confirmed specifics regarding the tragedy: Only report what first responders have confirmed to reporters and news outlets, such as the location, number of those injured, and number of casualties.
• Offer sincere condolences and sentiments: Use this opportunity to express genuine and authentic sentiments around the tragedy. Audiences have grown weary of simplified and overused language, such as “our thoughts are with…” or “thoughts and prayers to…” Use this moment to speak to the anger, sadness and despair felt in the moment.
• Address the communities affected: Be sure to address the communities and individuals who have been directly affected by the shooting. Some mass shootings tend to be driven by domestic violence and/or bigotry and prejudice. If an event is known to be driven by such ideals and behavior, be sure to name them as part of the problem. But only do so once the motive has been confirmed by first responders, law enforcement and trusted news sources. Do not make assumptions based on hearsay.
• Do not name the shooter: Use this moment to focus on the communities affected and to be mindful of how it may impact other survivors in the moment.
• Acknowledge everyday cases of gun violence: Mass shootings make up a relatively small percentage of the daily cases of gun violence taking place in the country. Encourage your audience to remember and take into account that there are thousands of gun violence victims and survivors whom we’ll never know because their cases did not grab national headlines.
• Remain consistent: Unfortunately, mass shootings are an all too regular occurrence, and it can be difficult to stay up-to-date and monitor when an incident warrants a statement from your organization. However, it’s important to remain consistent by speaking to the breadth of the gun violence crisis. For example, if there are multiple mass shootings in a month and you only mention one particular instance, it’s important to follow through by at least acknowledging additional instances and everyday cases of gun violence.
• Learn from and follow the lead of trusted partners: There are numerous organizations dedicated to addressing gun violence; instead of issuing a statement that puts you or your work at the center, it is important to follow the lead of these experts or partners. Your statement can be used to uplift local efforts or resources shared by other organizations leading gun violence prevention work.

The Reality of Daily Gun Violence

Gun violence is a multifaceted issue that affects people from all walks of life. Here are some statistics to keep in mind:

• 43,000 people in the United States die from gun violence every year – that is more than 100 people per day. (Giffords and Everytown)
• Gun deaths disproportionately impact historically targeted communities in the United States, namely Black and Brown communities. In fact, Black men make up more than 52 percent of all gun homicide victims while making up less than six percent of the population. (Giffords)
• Black men face the highest risk of police violence. Unarmed Black Americans are five times more likely to be shot and killed by police than their white counterparts. (Giffords)
• Gun suicides account for six out of 10 gun deaths in the United States. (Everytown)
  • Access to a gun in the home increases the risk of death by suicide by 300 percent. (Brady)
• Firearms remain the leading cause of death for children and teens, surpassing car accidents.
  • Black and Brown children are more likely to be shot and killed by others, while white children are more likely to harm themselves. (New York Times)
• Nearly one million women in the United States have been shot or shot at by an intimate partner. Women in our country are 21 times more likely to be killed with a gun than women in other high-income countries. (Everytown and Giffords)

For a handy guide on statistics about gun violence, download our Gun Safety Task Force Sheet.

To learn more about Fenton’s gun safety task force and possible ways we can support your work on this issue, please contact Valerie Jean-Charles at vjeancharles@fenton.com 

“Making the decision to have a child — it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”  – Elizabeth Stone

My son Colin was 6 weeks old when we went to look at daycares. As we approached the door, I saw a sign that said firearms are not allowed inside the facility. I asked the daycare’s director if guns were an issue here, and was told it’s New York State law to post that sign. My heart sank at the reality of the world I was sending my child into.

I didn’t grow up in a world of school shootings. At the time of the Columbine shooting, I was in college. I remember the absolute shock that someone would bring a gun into a school. An entire generation has grown up with routine active shooter drills. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, there have been 55 incidents of gunfire on school grounds in 2022. It’s only May.

To become a mother is to make a promise to your children: to keep them safe. After the shooting in Parkland that left 17 people dead, I decided enough was enough. Gun violence is now the leading cause of death in children and adolescents. Our kids are only as safe as their surroundings. The thought of one day sending my child to school and never seeing him again terrified me, and motivated me to attend my first local Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America meeting. After the meeting, I introduced myself to the volunteers who lead the group. I told them I would love to help with any graphic design needs they may have. Next thing I knew, I was knocking on doors for candidates who had gun violence on the forefront of their agenda. All that work paid off. We won a gun sense majority in New York and a week later, I gave birth to my son Garrett.

Being a mom is at the heart of my activism. When I went up to Albany for Lobby Day, I was pumping between meetings with elected officials asking them to support sensible gun legislation. A Zoom call to organize and mobilize wouldn’t be a call without stopping to say hello to the kids who want to be on mama’s lap. I have met the most incredible group of women doing this work. We have become a family. We bring our kids to events and rallies so they can play together while we work. We support one another through hard times, and are the ultimate hype women if one of us doubts what we are capable of.

This Mother’s Day, I celebrate my fellow Moms. I also hold a space for the mothers I have met who have lost a child to this epidemic. For Shenee, to remember her son Kedrick; for Indiana, to remember her son Malik; for Linda, to remember her son Scott; for Jacqueline, to remember her daughter Kyra; for Stephanie, to remember her son Andre; for any mother whose child was taken from them by gun violence. Their memories will forever live on because their mothers have turned their unspeakable pain into power. These women endlessly inspire me to keep going. 

We don’t have to live like this. We don’t have to die like this. Text READY to 64433 to join the millions of mothers and others who are fighting back against the gun lobby’s dangerous agenda.