Seattle’s Child launched its legislative coverage several years ago after I drove by a large group of women waving signs at an overpass on my drive home. The women, mostly gray-haired and smiling, hoisted signs that said “No Ghost Guns!,” “End Violence Now,” and “Save Our Grandbabies!”
The banner strung on the railing announced “Grandmothers Against Gun Violence.” The day I saw the grandmothers, there had been yet another school shooting; seven more dead teens.
The Seattle-based advocacy group, which belongs to those banner words, was the first I visited to learn more about Washington’s gun laws and the need for gun regulation when we started reporting on the annual gathering of state lawmakers in Olympia each January. Since then, the group’s legislative liaison, Jennifer Dolan-Waldman, has helped us track gun legislation efforts and offer parents ways to take meaningful action on the issue, regardless of their position.
I will miss Dolan-Waldman’s presence on Seatte’s Child pages and the organization’s marching dedication to protecting kids and families from gun violence. After 12 years of hands-on advocacy, the group has announced that it will sunset its advocacy efforts at the end of the year while continuing the Grandmothers Against Gun Violence Foundation, which raises funds to support research aimed at ending this public health epidemic.
Other leaders in the Washington gun control movement will feel the loss.
“Grandmothers Against Gun Violence has been nothing short of extraordinary. Their steadfast advocacy has played a vital role in firearm violence prevention here in Washington, and it’s reflected in the communities they have touched, “said Renee Hopkins, CEO of Alliance for Gun Responsibility. “The Alliance for Gun Responsibility is deeply honored to have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with such incredible leaders in this fight, and we will proudly carry on their legacy.”
Grandmothers Against Gun Violence (GAGV) has, indeed, been a strong force in the gun violence prevention movement. GAGV members have helped pass many measures, including:
- a ban on assault weapons and ghost guns;
- the creation of extreme risk protection orders;
- the restriction of weapons in certain locations;
- and this year, the requirement to obtain a permit to purchase a firearm.
“We are proud of the significant progress made and treasure the times we joined together to make our voices heard,” GAGV Chair Jill McKinstry said in an announcement of the sunset decision. McKinstry pointed to several reasons for the decision to sunset, including the loss of momentum during COVID-19 when members were unable to meet in person and “the unprecedented current national political distraction demanding our attention.” The upshot is that the group has struggled to find volunteers able to step into leadership positions.
I asked Dolan-Waldman, a former school principal and education professor, to share her thoughts on the closure and on what parents (and grandparents) can do to keep the pressure on lawmakers to stop gun violence in Washington and across the country. Here’s part of that conversation.
Seattle’s Child (SC): What does the closure of GAGV advocacy work mean for the state’s gun control movement? Won’t it create a significant hole?
Jennifer Dolan-Waldman: While we have heard from many people that they are sorry to see us sunset, we have given a great deal of thought to what our absence on the scene will mean. Fortunately, the Alliance for Gun Responsibility (AGR) has been the leader in this area, and they are reaching out to like-minded people in Oregon, Michigan, and Maine to help folks there establish a similar state-based organization. To see the movement shift focus to supporting states is a big step forward, one which may help to bring together coalitions that can effectively challenge some of the changes that are being proposed by the current administration. Whatever hole our departure may make, the AGR should help fill.
How can grandmothers and others continue the vital work of fighting against gun violence, especially in a presidency bent on dismantling gun control laws?
We had a very successful lobby and advocacy day in March this year, where we partnered with the Washington Moms Demand Action group and AGR. Some of our members will likely affiliate with them.
What thoughts do you have for young people concerned about gun violence?
Last week was one of optimism. I was contacted by two sixth-grade boys who were working on a project for school. They decided to research the issue of gun violence and reached out to me for more information. When I spoke to them, I asked what motivated them to choose this topic. They said that the school shooting in Uvalde was the event that frightened them and made them want to learn more so they could work to change the occurrences of gun violence. Their goal was to use the next six years that they will be in school in this area to speak up, organize, and make other people aware of some of the facts they had learned in their research, such as the daily count of people killed by guns has now reached 120.
What about parents?
I understand that some parents are lobbying the city of Seattle to install school resources officers (SROs) in schools. That sounds like a way to reduce issues in schools, but the research on SROs is pretty clear that that does not do much to address the issues of school-based gun violence. One or two officers in a building simply can’t cover enough area to be on top of things, particularly when many of the shooters turn out to be students from the school who know the officers’ routines and work around them.
While school shootings are terrifying, they reflect a small percentage of gun deaths. Parents need to be mindful of where their children are after school and whom their kids hang out with and generally make sure they know what’s going on. They also need to focus on working with the schools rather than demanding that the schools take steps that teachers and principals know are not going to solve the problem. Having said all that, I don’t think there is a great answer to what parents or schools can do with the proliferation of guns everywhere. However, I do hope that the just-passed “Permit to Purchase” bill should be a big help by making it much harder to get a firearm or concealed pistol license.
What about you personally, Jennifer? Will you continue in this work?
I’m giving a lot of thought to where to direct my activism efforts going forward. I will continue to work with the Alliance, but I am also looking for activities that return me to things I have done in the past, such as working with children in school settings. The past few years with GAGV have been time-consuming, and I would like to have some more time for personal efforts.
While I am not yet a grandmother, I am grateful to Grandmothers Against Gun Violence for their taking a stand against the guns and bullets that kill too many people each year in America. Washington, as we all ready in the daily news, is not immune. They’ve shown us parents what dedication can achieve. I hope we pick up the banner.
