Founded | 1995[1] [2] |
---|---|
Founder | Geraldine Hills [1] [3] |
Type | 501(c)(3) |
86-0981306 [4] | |
Focus | Gun safety, Gun safety policy |
Area served | Arizona |
Services | Policy 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 |
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]
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]
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]
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]
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.
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cite news}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
Founded | 1995[1] [2] |
---|---|
Founder | Geraldine Hills [1] [3] |
Type | 501(c)(3) |
86-0981306 [4] | |
Focus | Gun safety, Gun safety policy |
Area served | Arizona |
Services | Policy 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 |
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]
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]
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]
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]
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.
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)