Atlanta, GA—Today, Representative Lucy McBath (D-GA-06) convened a panel discussion at the historic New Hope AME Church in Buckhead as part of Gun Violence Awareness Month. Panelists included Georgia State Sen. Elena Parent, Georgia State House Rep. Michelle Au, Dr. Randi Smith of Grady Hospital, and Brent Bailey with Community Justice (pictured left to right with Rep. McBath).
“As we mark June as Gun Violence Awareness Month and the country reels from horrific, targeted violence in Minnesota, I was glad to gather in community and fellowship to discuss the crisis of gun violence we are seeing across our country,” said Congresswoman McBath. “Since losing my own son to gun violence more than a decade ago, my work in Congress has been rooted in preventing more families from feeling the pain that my family has. Today’s panel has both invigorated our movement for safer gun laws and given our audience tools to continue making change in their own communities. I thank our experts and elected officials for joining to speak directly with my constituents.”
“June is Gun Violence Awareness Month, and our country continues to face an unacceptable epidemic of gun violence. But there is hope—because we know that gun safety laws save lives. That’s why I’ve spent years working to strengthen Georgia’s dangerously weak gun laws. Unfortunately, those efforts have been repeatedly blocked, and instead, the laws have been weakened—leading to a sharp rise in gun violence. Georgians are tired, afraid, and ready for change. I’m committed to working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass common-sense legislation, including safe storage laws, to protect our communities. I’m especially grateful to Congresswoman McBath for her powerful leadership and for transforming her personal tragedy into a driving force for progress,” said Senator Parent.
“As a trauma surgeon at one of the busiest trauma centers in the country, I see firsthand the devastating impact gun violence has on our youth, families, and communities,” said Dr. Randi Smith, trauma surgeon at Grady Hospital. “At Grady, through our hospital-based violence intervention program Interrupting Violence in Youth and Young Adults (IVYY), we’re working to break the cycle by connecting survivors of gun violence with critical support and community resources they need to heal – not just physically, but emotionally and socially. These efforts are essential to preventing re-injury and building safer, healthier futures.”
“I’m honored to join Congresswoman McBath and fellow advocates for this critical conversation during Gun Violence Awareness Month,” said Brent Bailey, National Youth Organizing Manager at Community Justice. “At a time when young people across the country are rising up to confront the crisis of gun violence, we must meet their urgency with sustained action and deep investment in community-led solutions. With changes in the federal landscape and uncertainty around future funding, our movement must be prepared to pivot—strengthening our local organizing power, protecting existing infrastructure, and building durable coalitions that can withstand political shifts. I look forward to sharing how youth organizing is already driving real change and how we can all play a role in shaping safer, more just futures.”
June is Gun Violence Awareness Month. Since the death of her son and coming to Congress, Representative McBath has sought bipartisan, common-sense solutions to ending gun violence. Under McBath’s leadership, the first comprehensive gun safety legislation in over three decades—the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act—became law. McBath leads federal legislation to implement extreme risk protection orders, also called “red flag laws,” as well as a federal Assault Weapons Ban and the GOSAFE Act.