Harris’s continuing gun conversation helps define and model responsible US gun ownership
by Sandy & Lonnie Phillips As parents of a daughter fatally shot in the 2012 Aurora, CO theater mass shooting, we urge Vice President Harris to continue a frank discussion about gun ownership to help quell the current scourge of US gun violence. Vice President Harris’s conversation about gun ownership, which began during her interview […]
What to say to survivors of suicide loss
Being heartfelt is best, but we all sometimes struggle for words. Finding the right words when speaking to a survivor of gun violence can be difficult; that difficulty can be compounded when someone’s loved one dies of suicide by firearm. Here are some suggestions: Stay simple. A simple statement like “I’m sorry” or “I’m so […]
Mother Speaks Out About Suicide Prevention Awareness Month 10 Years After Valentine’s Day Gun Suicide
Valentine’s Day 2014 proved the most heartbreaking day in the life of Maryland mother Cheryl Brooks At 3 AM on February 15, 2014, Maryland state police informed Cheryl that her oldest son, Michael Derek Baughan 30, had died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head the previous day. His roommate found him in the bathtub […]
Named one of CNN’s Champions for Change a year ago, Sandy and Lonnie Phillips continue championing change in 2024…and beyond
‘We found our joy again and we want other survivors to find their joy again, too.’ -Sandy Phillips during Anderson Cooper/CNN interview Last September, CNN’s Anderson Cooper profiled his chosen Champion for Change, Sandy and Lonnie Phillips of Survivors Empowered. In the interview, Sandy said that their legacy, in honor of their daughter, Jessi—slain in […]
This is ALL about our kids.
Using common sense, it’s easy to see that sensible gun control legislation, regulation, and accountability are in keeping with what’s best for this nation and our children. Responsible gun ownership means keeping guns out of the hands of those who may harm themselves or others—including children who commit suicide with an improperly-secured gun. Key statistics […]
Gun industry immunity law repeal draws closer with 12 new Congressional HR 4184 cosponsors
Sandy and Lonnie Phillips, Newtown Action Alliance, and Junior Newtown Alliance secure additional support, bringing total to 129 cosponsors Marking 12 years since their daughter’s brutal shooting death along with 11 others in an Aurora, CO theater, Sandy and Lonnie Phillips recently collaborated with Newtown Action Alliance and Junior Newtown Alliance in Washington, DC to […]
3 Supreme Court Elephants trample gun violence prevention
Weighty influence of Roberts, Thomas, Bruen opinions Amid the endless parsing of the US Constitution’s Second Amendment to support gun rights is another famous declaration from the US Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that […]
Good news prevails amid gun control inaction and setbacks
Frequently lost amid gun control inaction and setbacks are gun control wins mounting up in the states, incredible perseverance of gun control organizations to gain momentum for meaningful federal legislative change, and evolving corporate policies designed to discourage gun violence.
Remembering Jessi Redfield Ghawi
Jessi’s spirit and sacrifice shine more intensely than ever as we mark twelve years since she and eleven others were senselessly slaughtered in the 2012 Aurora, CO theater shootings. Tragically for Survivors Empowered founders Sandy and Lonnie Phillips, the shooting death of their daughter Jessi Redfield Ghawi on July 20, 2012, became the catalyst for […]
Meet the new boss; as deadly as the old boss.
The Washington Post recently reported that the United States Supreme Court conservative majority led by Justice Clarence Thomas has given shooters the right to use a device called a bump stock that allows firearms to function as machine guns. In the June 14, 2024 Supreme Court decision in Garland v Cargill, the conservative majority ruled […]