Behind most gun deaths is a system that’s designed to be deadly

It’s time to face the truth: gun violence isn’t random or inevitable. It’s not driven by mental health, video games, or too few armed guards. It’s driven by easy access to guns. A basic, life-saving gun safety system would close the gaps that allow firearms into fatal hands. Now, Pennsylvanians are sharing the losses they’ve suffered under a system that is Deadly by Design. Because they know the best way to save the next life is to change that system.

“You may not be as lucky as I was”

A 19-year-old in a moment of crisis who shouldn’t have had access to a gun
the full story ›: “You may not be as lucky as I was”
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ERPOs: A Life-Saving Tool

Suicides are often an impulsive act where having access to a gun increases the risk of dying 3X. But the current legal process to disarm someone in a suicidal crisis – a “302” involuntary mental health commitment – isn’t appropriate in many cases.

That’s why PA needs to establish Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) – an important tool to prevent suicides, but also domestic violence killings and mass shootings. It’s simple: having access to a deadly weapon in a time of crisis endangers that person and everyone around them.

ERPOs are a process for family members or law enforcement to petition the courts for a civil (non-criminal) order to temporarily suspend a person’s access to firearms, including removing any existing guns for up to one year.

At that point, the petitioner provides evidence, including the person’s recent threats against themselves or others. If the evidence convinces the court there is an imminent risk, the order is approved. This guarantees the individual’s due process rights are upheld while helping to save lives.

Share this video with your lawmakers so they can also face the truth about our deadly system

A middle school dance marred by violence

John Gillette was a beloved 8th grade teacher at Parker Middle School in Edinboro, PA. He was a coach and a role model. He was Abby’s dad. On April 24, 1998, it all came to a horrific end at the school dance, when a 14-year-old student was able to access his father’s unsecured gun and use it to murder John and injure another teacher and two other students. This is John’s story, as told by his daughter, Abby.

the full story ›: A middle school dance marred by violence
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Safe Storage Saves Lives

54% of gun owners report that they do not store all their guns securely. This allows easy access to deadly weapons and significantly increases the risk of a troubled youth getting their hands on a gun to commit a school shooting (representing 76% of school shooters). That’s why states with child access prevention laws have 15% fewer homicides by youth. 26 States have some kind of safe gun storage law. Pennsylvania isn’t one of them.

Share this video with your lawmakers so they can also face the truth about our deadly system
“He taught me how to be a person”

Nick Elizalde was a normal high school student who loved history, science, and Marvel. In September, 2022, he was playing a football game with friends at Roxborough High School in Philly. They were ambushed by six young men, using ammunition purchased by someone who should’ve never been able to buy it or own a gun. This is Nick’s story, as told by his mother, Meredith.

the full story ›: “He taught me how to be a person”
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Background Checks on Ammo Purchases

Under both Pennsylvania and Federal law, people who are prohibited from purchasing firearms (most commonly due to a felony conviction) are also by default prohibited from buying ammunition. And for most gun sales in PA, there’s a way to enforce that prohibition: a background check. In 2022, over 43,000 gun sales in PA were denied at the point of sale because the buyer couldn’t pass a background check.

But no such tool exists to stop prohibited purchasers from buying ammunition. There’s no background check required to buy the ammo that can be loaded into an illegal gun and used to kill innocent people like 14-year-old Nick Elizalde. Many states – including Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, California, and New York – have passed laws to require background checks for ammo sales to stop criminals from easily accessing deadly bullets. Pennsylvania should be next.

Share this video with your lawmakers so they can also face the truth about our deadly system
A local law might have saved William

When William was murdered, Philadelphia had local ordinances that may have stopped the killer from obtaining the gun. But the rules couldn’t be enforced because of state “preemption” of local gun laws. This is William’s story as told by his father, Stanley.

the full story ›: A local law might have saved William
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Empower Local Officials

Local officials know how gun violence is impacting their community. They’ve seen the lack of waiting periods for purchases contribute to suicide rates. Their law enforcement officers inform them that lost or stolen firearms fuel trafficking of illegal firearms used in community shootings. And, their residents have begged for a way to save lives by temporarily removing a firearm from someone who wants to harm themselves or others.

Many municipalities had local ordinances to keep their residents safe. Some ended those policies after being sued by the NRA. But, as long as the state preempts local gun safety laws, they cannot be enforced. The General Assembly has gone so far as to design a system to thwart local, life-saving laws.

Share this video with your lawmakers so they can also face the truth about our deadly system
“They say time heals all wounds, but it doesn’t”

Before her son was taken by firearm homicide, Edie lost her husband and brother-in-law to gun suicide. It’s a highly-impulsive act where having easy access to an unsecured gun drastically increases the chances of dying. These are Micky’s and Mark’s gun suicide stories, as told by Edie.

the full story ›: “They say time heals all wounds, but it doesn’t”
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Safe Storage Saves Lives

54% of gun owners report that they do not store all their guns securely. This allows easy access to deadly weapons and significantly increases the risk of:

Children dying from an unintentional shooting (142 children and teens die by gun in PA each year),

A troubled youth getting their hands on a gun to commit a school shooting (representing 76% of school shooters),

Or the gun getting stolen and used in a crime (44,000 guns were estimated stolen in just a 6-year period in PA alone).

Failure to securely store a gun also makes it easy for a person in crisis to access the most lethal means by which one can attempt suicide. Even if the suicidal person is the gun owner, the simple act of having to find the key or remember the code pauses the impulse, requiring them to reconsider the permanent results from their decision. And psychologists will tell you that’s enough to save lives. That’s why households with securely-stored firearms have lower rates of firearm suicide than households with unsecured guns. 26 states have some kind of secure gun storage law on the books – PA isn’t one of them.

Share this video with your lawmakers so they can also face the truth about our deadly system
“I came as close to death as a person can come”

The deadliest mass killing in modern Pennsylvania history was made possible by an AR-15. It’s the weapon of choice for mass shooters. And sales have skyrocketed in the last 20 years because of a policy choice. This is Dan’s story of barely surviving the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.

the full story ›: “I came as close to death as a person can come”
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Weapons of War Don’t Belong in our Communities

Whether it’s a violent attack at a synagogue in Squirrel Hill, an angry shooter targeting a grocery store in a Black community, or a deeply unwell loner assaulting elementary schoolers in their own classroom, every mass shooting turns daily activities into moments of terror – and death. We don’t have to live like this.

This gruesome and uniquely American story has played out time and time again, and there’s one common denominator: the military-style AR-15 and other similar assault rifles that are used in the majority of these tragedies. Tens of millions of AR-15’s were sold and mass shooting deaths tripled after the federal assault weapon ban was allowed to expire in 2004 – a sunset provision of the original law that the gun industry demanded.

Share this video with your lawmakers so they can also face the truth about our deadly system
Love, control, and a deadly weapon

When Lynnette’s mother decided to leave her controlling husband, things got violent. If there was a way to temporarily remove the gun from the situation, it could have gone differently. This is Lynnette’s story of her parents.

the full story ›: Love, control, and a deadly weapon
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ERPOs: A Life-Saving Tool

Domestic violence situations are made significantly more risky when a gun is present – 5X more likely to result in a homicide. But the current legal tool to disarm a domestic abuser – a protection from abuse order (PFA) – can be too slow to save a life.

Suicides are often a highly impulsive act where having access to a gun increases the risk of dying 3X. But the current legal process to disarm someone in a suicidal crisis – a “302” involuntary mental health commitment – isn’t appropriate in many cases.

That’s why PA needs to establish Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) – a tool to prevent both suicides and domestic violence, as well as mass shootings. It’s simple: having access to a deadly weapon in a time of crisis endangers that person and everyone around them.

ERPOs are a process for family members or law enforcement to petition the courts for a civil (non-criminal) order to temporarily suspend a person’s access to firearms, including removing any existing guns for up to one year.

At that point, the petitioner provides evidence, including the person’s recent threats against themselves or others. If the evidence convinces the court there is an imminent risk, the order is approved. This guarantees due process while helping save lives.

Share this video with your lawmakers so they can also face the truth about our deadly system
“His life would have been beautiful right now”

Kareem was killed by an illegal gun that was trafficked into Allentown by a suburban couple who took advantage of a long-abused loophole to evade accountability. A simple law to require that lost and stolen guns be reported could have made the difference. This is Jeani’s story of her son, Kareem.

the full story ›: “His life would have been beautiful right now”
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Reporting Lost or Stolen Firearms

Almost every illegal gun starts as a legal firearm. These weapons are often stolen before quickly reappearing in violent shootings throughout the Commonwealth. Yet, the Commonwealth doesn’t require individuals to report lost or stolen firearms soon after discovering them missing. That allows this pipeline to continue to fuel homicides and shootings with disastrous consequences.

Whether stolen out of a car, a home, or sold illegally, firearms go missing at an alarming rate: about 21 guns every day in Pennsylvania. It adds up. Every year, 380,000 firearms are stolen from gun owners across the country – 20 times more than from gun dealers. However, up to 40% of these are never reported to law enforcement. That leaves them to be illegally trafficked to individuals who are not allowed to own a firearm.

Share this video with your lawmakers so they can also face the truth about our deadly system
It could happen to any of us

Boaz was going through life struggles that could send any of us into a crisis. If his gun had been securely stored, maybe that short pause in access would have been enough to allow him to still be with us. This is Dan’s story of his step-brother, Boaz.

the full story ›: It could happen to any of us
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Safe Storage Saves Lives

54% of gun owners report that they do not store all their guns securely. This allows easy access to deadly weapons and significantly increases the risk of:

Children dying from an unintentional shooting (142 children and teens die by gun in PA each year),

A troubled youth getting their hands on a gun to commit a school shooting (representing 76% of school shooters),

Or the gun getting stolen and used in a crime (44,000 guns were estimated stolen in just a 6-year period in PA alone).

Failure to securely store a gun also makes it easy for a person in crisis to access the most lethal means by which one can attempt suicide. Even if the suicidal person is the gun owner, the simple act of having to find the key or remember the code pauses the impulse, requiring them to reconsider the permanent results from their decision. And psychologists will tell you that’s enough to save lives. That’s why households with securely-stored firearms have lower rates of firearm suicide than households with unsecured guns. 26 states have some kind of secure gun storage law on the books – PA isn’t one of them.

Share this video with your lawmakers so they can also face the truth about our deadly system