We feel two opposing sentiments right now. We are grateful for the wonderful start to our Honor with Action tour and its many supporters; at the same time, we feel dislocation and grief at the eruptions of violence spanning the globe. We think the best response is grit, whether geopolitical, closer to home, or individual.

We say frequently that it has been our mission to turn pain into purpose. In this issue, we profile two people whom we greatly appreciate and admire: Kristin and Michael Song. After their teenage son was killed by an unsecured handgun at their neighbor’s home, the Songs sprang into action and spearheaded passage of  Ethan’s Law, a measure that imposes consequences upon irresponsible gun owners who fail to appropriately lock up firearms, and whose failures result in harm or death to others. Read about the Songs’ effective efforts in their home state of Connecticut, around the country and nationally.

Despite progress on the secure-storage front, there are so many challenges and tragedies to confront. As usual, we share clips from news sources covering the carnage, and gun policy developments. We also include quotes from survivors. And don’t miss our podcast, Voices of Survivors, hosted by Amber Starr Currie!

Our Honor with Action tour stops next in Atlanta, where we are eager to meet with others who are determined to stop the bloodshed.  Also on our calendar, we are poised to start our next round of Mindfulness Meditation for survivors next week! We can’t wait.

We were outraged by a news item that is very personal to us. Governor Bill Lee of Tennessee appointed to the state’s school board Jordan Mollenhour, the co-owner of Lucky Gunner, an ammunition  manufacturer whose bullets ripped through our daughter Jessi nearly 10 years ago. We sued Lucky Gunner not for money, but to change sales practices that included peddling bullets to minors, but we were unsuccessful; the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) resulted in a very expensive and painful loss for us. 

Years later, Lucky Gunner sold bullets to a teenager in New Mexico who shot up a school, taking the lives of 10. What’s our reaction to Mollenhour’s appointment? To put it mildly, we can do better when we seek public servants. 

We care deeply about gun violence in all its forms, but as parents whose child was murdered, mass shootings in schools are particularly odious. We want to see real consciousness about how to protect our children manifested by every single person who has any influence at all about what happens in our young people’s environments. Need we say more?

We hope to be meeting many of you along the road this year,

Sandy and Lonnie 

Want to feel part of the action as we travel the country?
We've got some beautiful hats, T-shirts and other apparel, as well as  tote bags, mugs and notecards, that are available to all via our online Bonfire store. 

We will give out pens and notepads as complimentary "swag" at our upcoming stops. On February 19, in partnership with San Diegans for Gun Violence Prevention, we launched our tour!

• Survivors Empowered has a roster of dedicated trauma therapists who help survivors of gun violence heal from the aftermath. Visit our website for more information. 
• We created, in collaboration with Giffords, a toolkit for survivors at Giffords.org. 
• We continue to look for volunteers across the country who want to help build coalitions and work with survivors of gun violence in their states. If interested in supporting our efforts, please contact us here.