How to help in the wake of the Bend Elementary School Shooting

A number of friends and colleagues have reached out to me since yesterday’s elementary school shooting in Bend, Oregon to inquire how to help.

In my 14 unwanted years in the gun violence prevention movement since my mother was teaching first grade at Sandy Hook Elementary School, I have learned that America’s gun violence problem is uniquely asymmetrical. On one side, we have the multi-billion dollar firearm industry, shielded from liability, pumping out misinformation and manipulation to further their profits. On the other side, there is a patchwork quilt of under-funded, victims’ organizations working different angles to prevent further violence and death.

In the wake of the latest unimaginable tragedy at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, it is natural to want to take quick action to do something. American gun violence is complex and there is no quick solution. There are a number of amazing organizations and individuals who have made it their calling to address different aspects of the problem.

The fastest and best way to help is to simply donate resources to an existing gun violence prevention organization to keep them on the field of play for the long haul. The current administration decimated funding to many of the groups responsible for declining gun deaths in America. These groups need resources – time, money, expertise, and more to keep chipping away doing what is often thankless and depressing work.

Providing support is easier than you think. Either donate off their website or just contact them and explain what you can offer and ask to be put to work.

Here are a few incredible Gun Violence Prevention organizations with an over-simplified summation of their focus area. Please pick an area that speaks to you and support the relevant organizations.

Supporting Bend Families – the hardest thing to find immediately after the tragedy is the best way to support the impacted families. There are a myriad of GoFundMe sites. My recommendation is to keep an eye on the Bend School District’s community information page for further direction on this front. For immediate action I recommend supporting Survivors Empowered.

Movement-wide funding – if you prefer to outsource the decision of what to fund to experts who are rigorously screening grants and programs, I recommend supporting the Fund for a Safer Future.

Stopping School Shootings – Sandy Hook Promise has done incredible work focusing on mental health initiatives to prevent school shootings. My mother works with Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence.

Policy Change – the only real opportunity for changing legislation to prevent gun violence is at the State level. States United to Prevent Gun Violence is a great umbrella organization to find a group in your state. Ceasefire Oregon is one of their affiliates and needs help right now. Yes on 9 is another timely organization working to defeat a firearm industry funded ballot initiative to roll back some of Massachusetts’s gun laws that have helped Massachusetts achieve the lowest rate of gun violence in America.

Culture Change – Brady United has been doing great work with Hollywood and other cultural influencers to change how American’s glamorize consequence free gun violence. The Ad Council has consistently done great work to support gun violence prevention with pro bono marketing campaigns.

Data and Research – The firearm industry has prevented the capture of incriminating data about the harm caused by their business practices. Everytown For Gun Safety and GVPedia are two organizations working hard to capture and disseminate facts.

Legal Challenges – The Giffords Organization is consistently doing great work in the courts. Global Action on Gun Violence has momentum with a novel approach.

Holding the Gun Industry Accountable – the Firearm Accountability Initiative is an exciting new organization that seeks to apply success form smoking cessation to the Firearm industry.

Donating pro bono services – if you would like to donate your expertise in ad hoc volunteer projects, please join me at the Gun Safety Alliance.

The most important thing we can all do to reduce American gun violence is to talk about it. Our country is awash in firearms. Don’t pretend those guns will magically go away. Don’t treat gun violence reduction as a “political” topic that is a third rail and cannot be discussed. We need to draw upon the American strength of a clear-eyed assessment of what we are facing and courage in the face of adversity. My final recommendation is to read Malcom Gladwell’s latest book, “The American Way of Killing: The Invention of an Epidemic.”