How to Fight Gun Violence with Shannon Watts

Moms Demand Action began the day after the Sandy Hook shooting, which claimed the lives of 28 people, including 20 children. Shannon Watts, a mother of five, knew she needed to do something — so she moved into action to end gun violence. She started Moms Demand Action, a non-partisan grassroots movement of moms who fight for stronger gun laws in America and encourage responsible gun ownership.

Moms Demand Action has a volunteer chapter in every state plus Washington, D.C. Their work includes advocating for universal background checks, disarming domestic abusers, and responsible gun storage. Volunteers at their Gun Sense Action Network spend one hour per week driving phone calls into lawmaker’s offices or recruiting new supporters into the movement.

Activist Crystal Turner also shares the story of how her life has changed since losing two of her children to gun violence in 2015. Crystal turned her pain into purpose and is now a dedicated activist working with Moms Demand Action to push for common sense gun reform. She also founded Mothers in Healing, a nonprofit that provides grief counseling for mothers who have lost a child.


Guests: Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, and Crystal Turner, activist, Moms Demand Action advocate, and founder of Mothers in Healing


Text the word READY to 64433 to get involved with gun reform work where you live, visit Moms Demand Action’s national or state-specific Facebook pages, follow @momsdemand on Twitter and Instagram, and buy Shannon’s book, “Fight Like a Mother”


Background reading:

• Every day, 100 people in America are shot and killed in the United States
• The U.S. gun homicide rate is 25 times higher than that of other high-income countries
• 90 percent of Americans support common sense gun laws, such as universal background checks