Arizonans for Gun Safety

Last updated
Arizonans for Gun Safety
Founded1995;29 years ago (1995) [1] [2]
FounderGeraldine Hills [1] [3]
Type 501(c)(3)
86-0981306 [4]
Focus Gun safety, Gun safety policy
Area served
Arizona
ServicesPolicy related to gun violence prevention and responsible gun ownership
Education >Advocacy
Method Advocacy
Community mobilization
Outreach programs
Key people
Maya Zuckerberg (President) Macey Chandler (Vice President)
Website azgunsafety.org

Arizonans for Gun Safety (AzGS) is a non-profit organization that aims to reduce gun-related deaths and promote gun safety. The organization also has education programs to teach about safe storage practices, non-violent conflict resolution, and ways to address youth violence. [5]

Contents

History

In 1994 the brother of Geraldine Hill was killed by a man with an AK-47 and a history of mental illness. [3] One year later, Hills created AzGS. [6]

Some other group members were similarly affected by gun violence. Jennifer Longdon joined and became a president of AzGS after she was paralyzed due to a random drive-by shooting. [7] Otis and Lory Smith joined the board of directors in 2000 after their daughter Shannon was killed from a stray bullet fired into the air. [8] The group was later instrumental in passing Shannon's Law, named after Otis and Lory's daughter. [9]

The group endorsed the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013. [10] [11]

In 2014 AzGS filed an Amicus Curiae for the Appellee in the case of Heller v. District of Columbia . [12] [13]

March for our Lives

The "Release the Fear" Statue, made from 8,000 pounds of metal taken from weapons of violence in Arizona, was the site of the March for Our Lives Arizona protest. Downtown Phoenix, AZ, Release the Fear Statue, No More Violence Plaza, 2011 - panoramio.jpg
The "Release the Fear" Statue, made from 8,000 pounds of metal taken from weapons of violence in Arizona, was the site of the March for Our Lives Arizona protest.

AzGS was a fiscal sponsor of the 2018 March for Our Lives protests that took place in Arizona, [16] with AzGS founder Geraldine Hills helping to manage more than $14,000 that March for Our Lives raised via GoFundMe merchandise sales. [17] An estimated 15,000 people showed up at the capitol protest on March 24, 2018. [18] High-schoolers, Arizona Congressman Ruben Gallego, and Geraldine Hills all took turns at the microphone. [18]

At the September 2019 March for Our Lives protest near the "Release the Fear" statue, [15] shoes and sandals of those affected by gun violence were placed at the base of the statue, including those of former U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords. [19]

Programs

Gun Buyback

AzGS used to facilitate gun buyback weekends, collecting thousands of guns [20] in conjunction with the Phoenix Police Department. [21] In 2013 Governor Jan Brewer signed HB 2455 into law, requiring city or county-sponsored programs to resell (instead of destroy) guns they obtain, [22] [23] rendering police buyback programs counterproductive. [21]

Artist Robert Miley, creator of the Release the Fear, a monument constructed of melted-down weapons used in violent acts across Arizona, said this of the HB 2455: "I think we need to turn to our youth and realize the things we pass now, whatever they are, they're going to affect generations to come". [24]

Related Research Articles

Shannon's law refers to specific changes in Arizona statutes, enacted in 2000, making it a felony offense to discharge firearms randomly into the air.

KAET, branded Arizona PBS, is a PBS member television station in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, owned by Arizona State University and operated by ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. KAET's studios are located at the Cronkite School's facility at ASU Downtown Phoenix, and its transmitter is located on South Mountain on the south side of Phoenix. Its signal is relayed across Arizona on a network of 13 translator stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arizona Department of Public Safety</span> Arizona state police agency

The Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) or Arizona Highway Patrol (AHP) is a state-level law enforcement agency with a primary function of patrolling and enforcing state laws on Arizona highways. Their headquarters are in Phoenix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gun violence in the United States</span> Phenomenon of gun violence in the United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Brewer</span> Governor of Arizona from 2009 to 2015

Janice Kay Brewer is an American politician and author who served as the 22nd governor of Arizona from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Brewer is the fourth woman to be Governor of Arizona. Brewer assumed the governorship as part of the line of succession, as determined by the Arizona Constitution, when Governor Janet Napolitano resigned to become U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security. Brewer had been Secretary of State of Arizona from January 2003 to January 2009.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Kirkpatrick</span> American politician (born 1950)

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Everytown for Gun Safety is an American nonprofit organization which advocates for gun control and against gun violence. Everytown was formed in 2013 due to a merger between Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

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David Sheridan Schweikert is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative from Arizona's 1st congressional district since 2023. He previously served as the U.S. representative for Arizona's 6th congressional district from 2013 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he first entered Congress in 2011, representing Arizona's 5th congressional district until redistricting. His district includes most of northern Phoenix as well as Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, and Cave Creek.

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Kathleen Marie Hobbs is an American politician and social worker serving since 2023 as the 24th governor of Arizona. Hobbs is the first social worker to be elected governor of a U.S. state and is Arizona's fifth female governor. A member of the Democratic Party, she was secretary of state of Arizona from 2019 to 2023 and a member of the Arizona State Legislature from 2011 to 2019.

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References

  1. 1 2 Nowicki, Karen. "Dr Gary Witt Global Gun Safety Awareness and Gerry Hills Arizonans for Gun Safety on Business RadioX". Business RadioX. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  2. ↑ Fahey, Amanda; Dafnis, Jordan (19 July 2018). "March for Our Lives taking push for gun-law reforms, voter registration on the road | Cronkite News". Cronkite News . Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  3. 1 2 Bland, Karina. "Bland: Old letter from John McCain shows how little has changed in 20 years of gun debate". The Arizona Republic . Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  4. ↑ "Arizonans For Gun Safety in Phoenix, AZ". Org Council. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  5. ↑ "About Arizonans for Gun Safety". Arizonans for Gun Safety. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  6. ↑ Nevarez, Griselda (11 December 2015). "Gun Violence Victims Will Be Honored Sunday in Downtown Phoenix". Phoenix New Times . Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  7. ↑ "2020 Jen Longdon". Arizona List. Retrieved 20 January 2021. A recent former president of Arizonans for Gun Safety, Jen worked with the City of Phoenix to organize Arizona's largest gun buyback program which removed over 2,000 firearms from our street.
  8. ↑ Scott, Eugene (2008-01-16). "Leaders remember mom who spurred Shannon's Law". archive.azcentral.com. The Arizona Republic . Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  9. ↑ Faller, Mary Beth (18 June 2019). "ASU professor among top experts chosen to define firearm injury research agenda". ASU Now: Access, Excellence, Impact. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  10. ↑ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  11. ↑ "Feinstein Records 2013 Assault Weapons Ban" (PDF).
  12. ↑ "Amended Notice of Intent to Participate as Amici Curiae and Representation of Consent" (PDF). Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  13. ↑ "14-7071 – Dick Heller, et al v. DC, et al". govinfo. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  14. ↑ D'Andrea, Niki (19 January 2011). "The Release the Fear (a.k.a. "The Melted Weapons") Sculpture". Phoenix New Times . Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  15. 1 2 Gilger, Lauren; Brodie, Mark (25 September 2019). "Groups Rally Across U.S. To End Gun Violence". KJZZ. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  16. ↑ Fahey, Amanda; Dafnis, Jordan (19 July 2018). "March for Our Lives taking push for gun-law reforms, voter registration on the road". Cronkite News . Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  17. ↑ Flaherty, Joseph (2018-03-23). "Today's Phoenix March for Our Lives: What You Need to Know". Phoenix New Times . Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  18. 1 2 Rosenblatt, Joseph Flaherty, Dillon (24 March 2018). "Just a Small Band of Students Brought 15,000 Together in Phoenix to March for Our Lives". Phoenix New Times . Retrieved 22 January 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ↑ Smith/Cronkite, Barbara (26 September 2019). "March for Our Lives Arizona honors gun-violence victims, plans next steps on reforms". Cronkite News . Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  20. ↑ "Arizonans for Gun Safety | Tempe, AZ | Cause IQ profile". CauseIQ.
  21. 1 2 DeLuca, Matthew (2013-05-15). "Anonymous donation funds Phoenix gun buyback". NBC News . Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  22. ↑ Bump, Philip (30 April 2013). "How Arizona Gun Buybacks Became Gun Sellbacks". The Atlantic. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  23. ↑ Mello, Michael (4 May 2013). "Arizona law bans destroying guns purchased in buyback programs" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  24. ↑ Kleinpete, Alice. "Bill would change gun buyback programs". Cronkite News . Retrieved 20 January 2021.
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