SD4GVP Blog

“We are living in a cultural and political moment where it feels impossible and irresponsible not to consider how our writing may be of use.” –Jennifer Grotz

Business Must Act, Part 2 of 3: What’s in your holster?

Business Must Act, Part 2 of 3: What’s in your holster?

In part 1 of this series, we walked you through the Gun Safety Scorecard, the cornerstone of the Business Must Act campaign of Guns Down America. The scorecard weighs in-store policies, corporate action and political and lobbying donations to determine which...

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12th Annual Remembrance for Victims of Gun Violence

12th Annual Remembrance for Victims of Gun Violence

SD4GVP and the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego held a remembrance on December 15, 2024, for loved ones lost and for all victims of gun violence. The service included time to honor and remember victims and survivors. Following the service, we held a...

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GUAC: One-Father Show by the Dad of a Parkland Victim

GUAC: One-Father Show by the Dad of a Parkland Victim

We widened our advocacy efforts into artivism by producing “GUAC,” a one-person show commemorating the life of Joaquín “Guac” Oliver. After Joaquín was killed in the 2018 Parkland mass shooting, his parents, Manny and Patricia Oliver, embarked on a campaign to get...

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Tipping Point: Santana High School

Tipping Point: Santana High School

I live in Santee, California, where on March 5, 2001, a 15-year-old student took an eight-shot, .22-caliber revolver to class at Santana High School. The student opened fire, killing two students and wounding 13 others. Santana showed me that this kind of thing can...

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White House Announces New Actions to Reduce Gun Violence

White House Announces New Actions to Reduce Gun Violence

We're relieved to tell you that the Biden-Harris Administration announced on January 25 a series of new executive actions to help promote the safe storage of firearms. The actions implement President Biden’s Executive Order of March 2023, which promoted safe gun...

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Tipping Point: My Sandy Hook Quilt

Tipping Point: My Sandy Hook Quilt

On the morning of December 14, 2012, we were preparing our annual Hanukkah party for thirty neighbors and our family. Standing at the head of our dining room table, I placed the menorah on the blue cloth with the box of candles, the matches and my husband Art’s...

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The Empty Spaces that Gun Violence Creates

The Empty Spaces that Gun Violence Creates

This period of late October to early November is a particularly harrowing time of mass shooting memories. There have been lessons learned, loopholes closed, gun safety measures taken and opportunities missed. Think of 2017, at Sutherland Springs Church in Texas. Think...

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GVP Interview with Therese Hymer

GVP Interview with Therese Hymer

Our own Therese Hymer (shown below at San Diego Board of Supervisors meeting) was interviewed this week on local station KNSJ, 89.1 FM. The hour-long interview covered the wide-ranging package of gun-safety bills passed recently by the California Legislature and...

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