Coalition for a Safer Delaware

Governor Carney signed Delaware's Permit to Purchase bill into law yesterday, after six years of work and advocacy over three general assemblies. We celebrated with legislative and advocacy champions yesterday - huge congratulations to Senator S. Elizabeth Lockman, Rep. Melissa Minor-Brown MSN, RN, Attorney General Kathy Jennings. Paul Baumbach, CFA, CFP®, a State Rep and member of our Board of Directors, said "This is the most impactful gun safety law we have passed in the 11+ years I have served in the legislature, the 11+ years since the Sandy Hook massacre that woke up our country to the unchecked disease of gun violence in our nation." The gun safety movement in Delaware was small (but mighty) when this bill was first introduced in 2019 - and it never got a floor vote after dying in the Senate Executive Committee. In the years since, our Coalition has worked on expanding partnerships -- from the original three groups (March for Our Lives, Moms Demand Action, and DECAGV) to dozens of advocacy partners statewide. Celebrating with our broad, diverse coalition was so gratifying -- and a powerful reminder that true victories come when we work together. Our executive director Traci Manza Murphy said yesterday at the bill-signing event "Delaware is the first state, and the best state, and is now on the way to becoming the safest state."

One of the ways we make impact in Delaware is by collaborating with partners to build a safer Delaware. Together with leaders in the Delaware Suicide Prevention Coalition, we are organizing an Open Letter to Delaware's incoming administration, urging them to prioritize suicide and gun violence prevention and postvention. Our partner organizations include AIDS Delaware, Inc., American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Brady: United Against Gun Violence, Center for Structural Equity, Champions for Children's Mental Health, Children & Families First, Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition, Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence, DELAWARE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Delaware PTA, Delaware State Education Association, Delaware Suicide Prevention Coalition, DJ's Alliance, First State Alliance of Recovery Residences, First State Educate, Jameil Aikeem Congo Cares, KIDS COUNT in Delaware, La Red Health Center, Inc., LaVante Dorsey & Assoc., Mental Health Association in Delaware, Methodist Action Network, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, NAMI Delaware, Network Connect, Nonviolent Seaford, Sculpt Your Life® & T'ai Chi for Veterans, Shepherd's Office, Inc., SL24: UnLocke The Light, Sussex Pride, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, TRANSITIONS DELAWARE, Trauma Specialists of Delaware, Irreverent Warriors, Inc. Read the letter and sign on here: https://lnkd.in/eusrh7xS!

Incredible Fall Forum! Thank you to ALL of our partners, presenters, champions, and colleagues for spending the morning in community together, reflecting on Delaware's progress and our path forward. Thank you to: ▶ Attorney General Kathy Jennings, Governor-Elect Matthew Meyer, and Dr. LeRoi Hicks of ChristianaCare for welcoming our group ▶ Dr. Dan Semenza of Rutgers University for a great presentation on how to view gun violence as a public health crisis ▶ Lauren J. Footman (End Community Violence Now and panelists Darryl Chambers (Center for Structural Equity , Alexandra Wynn, PhD (UD Partnership for Healthy Communities / Delaware SHIP) , Kiera McGillivray (Children & Families First) ▶ Meghan Walls, PsyD (Nemours) and panelists Priscilla Mpasi, MD, FAAP, Jen Pauliukonis (Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions) , Kate Dupont Phillips (Healthy Communities Delaware), and Mishai Pendleton (@ChristianaCare EVOLV Program) And extra thanks to colleagues who jumped in to plan: Meredith Stewart Tweedie, J.D., Asaiah Beaman Fisher, Laurel Grant, MPH, Erin Booker, LPC, Gwen Angalet, Katlyn Culhane-Suluai, Molly Burger

One of the most critical ways to prevent gun violence is through limiting access to lethal means. Gun locks can provide the critical time and space between and impulse and an action, and can prevent unintentional shootings. And, keeping firearms locked where children and persons prohibited are present is the law in Delaware. If you need a gun lock, we can send you one, no questions asked. Please email us: info@decagv.org.

Incredible to witness President Biden and Vice President Harris celebrate historic drops in gun violence, recognize the accomplishments of the first year of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention (managed by the incredible Rob Wilcox and Gregory Jackson Jr.), and announce new federal actions to prevent gun violence. Delawareans are safer when all levels of government work together to prevent gun violence, implement strong safety policies, build a network of knowledge around this issue, and invest in critical intervention programs. Thank you, President Biden, for your leadership! Delawareans are so proud of you! Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gZapkiqi

Yesterday, Governor John Carney signed four gun safety bills - significant because they will have far reaching impacts for safety in our state and also significant because these are the last four gun safety bills he will sign as our Governor. In his eight years, Governor Carney has signed 23 (!!!) pieces of gun safety legislation - including several bills that were unanimously supported in both chambers and some hard-won victories that took years of advocacy. I can't think of a state that has done more on this issue in such a short time. It has been an honor to work with the Governor and his team, who are passionate, dedicated, loyal, kind, and so much fun to work with. As we head into fall and the elections, I'm sad that this band will be breaking up - and so grateful to have had such strong allies for gun safety in the bunker. Thank you Natalie Criscenzo, John Cohill, Emily Hershman, Jon Sheehan, Jonathan Starkey, Mary Thatcher

Honored to share space with these incredible partners last week at a roundtable discussion convened by Sarah McBride, Delaware State Senator and candidate for United States Congress. House Speaker Valerie Longhurst and Senator S. Elizabeth Lockman have been some of the strongest gun violence prevention champions in Legislative Hall, and it was great to participate in thoughtful discussion and elevate our collective calls to action with these leaders and friends: yasser payne Tynietta Congo-Wright Robin Brinkley White Haneef Salaam Drew Fennell Mara Gorman Duha Mohamed

Our Executive Director Traci Manza Murphy and Sarah Stowens, Ed.D. of ChristianaCare contributed to the recent edition of the Delaware Journal of Public Health.

Advocacy brings you places you never thought you'd be - including on a panel at the Global Bio Conference 2024 in San Diego. Our Executive Director Traci Manza Murphy joined colleagues to engage and inspire life sciences industry professionals to join the Life Sciences to End Gun Violence Epidemic group -- and share about recent progress in Delaware, including our work to pass Permit to Purchase. Thanks for a great conversation, Joshua Horwitz, Angus McQuilken, Jen Pauliukonis (Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions) Also great to connect with - from what we could tell! - the only other Delaware conference attendees, representing the Delaware Prosperity Partnership. When Delawareans are safe from gun violence, prosperity is inevitable. Let's get there together. June is Gun Violence Awareness Month - join us this month on our social media channels to learn about gun violence, prevention, policy solutions, and practical ways we can all reduce gun violence. Together, we can build a safer Delaware!

Thanks to incredible partners from Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions and Delaware Theatre Company for hosting our celebration, and to the best Coalition there is for celebrating with us. Together, we ARE building the Safer Delaware we all deserve!