An Interview With Grace Green An Advocacy Organizer For Gun Violence Prevention!
Hello Grace & thank you for having this chat with us. For our readers far and near who is Grace?
Grace: I am Grace Green an advocacy organizer for gun violence prevention based in Seattle, Washington. I am originally from Baltimore, MD.
You reached out to us about coming on the platform to publicly put pressure on members of Congress about supporting bills on Gun Violence Prevention. give us a little insight as to how you got on this journey? what is your experience with guns?
Grace: I am interested in nonprofits, so I applied for this position because I want to learn more of the behind the scenes work. The topic of gun violence prevention is not directly close to me personally, however, it has a huge impact on my hometown in Baltimore.
What are your thoughts on the 2nd Amendment? Do you think it should be revised?
Grace: I do think that the 2nd Amendment is outdated, and it is not doing anything but help assault weapons perpetuate racism. It should be revised for police officers and I definitely think congress should pass into law HR 1236 Extreme Risk Protection Orders and S 42 Universal Background Checks.
You are part of an organization called Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL). What is this about and what purpose does it serve when we are talking about gun violence prevention?
Grace: FCNL is a Quaker based foundation that works toward involving everyday Americans into peaceful lobbying. We work on many topics at once in different areas, but this year the advocacy organizers are educating everyone on the work that Congress is doing to end gun violence.
How and why did you join the FCNL? what is your role in this movement?
Grace: I joined FCNL because I am currently in the process of receiving my Certification in Nonprofits, so I wanted to get more experience with nonprofits that really do great work for the nation. I am learning and at the same time informing people about what it means to be a lobbyist. It has a bad stigma but FCNL does not offer congress any money or incentives them to do their job. Instead, we help their consistent use their voice to tell the stories that matter to any issue. Everyone shares a story about gun violence because we live in the nation with the most mass shootings.
Going back to the initial point of this blog which is to publicly put pressure on members of Congress about supporting bills on Gun Violence Prevention. how do you and FCNL go about this? do the initiatives you use work?
Grace: FCNL is not new to peaceful lobbying it is the Quaker way of life. Seeking justice and involving 18-30 group to schedule visits with the local offices of congress members has shown success. Many members are familiar and hire staff from FCNL, so it builds close relations in a responsible and productive manner.
The US has way more guns per capita than any other country. We have seen deathly mass shootings increase over time in the US. Again, what are some of the bills FCNL is trying to convince Congress to support or implement?
Grace: HR 1236 Extreme Risk Protection Orders and S 42 Universal Background Checks. It is hard to stop gun violence if we cannot agree on basic facts about how and why it happens.
We hear a lot about mental health when these mass shootings occur. what are your thoughts on that?
Grace: FCNL is great at having the people come to these offices and take power by sharing their stories. People in denial of the gun violence crisis can argue or ignore facts. However, they cannot dispute the personal stories of how gun violence has affected many of the people in this country. Regardless if someone is a direct victim, the trauma and fear of guns cause people to share stories because now we have gun drills in elementary school for young children to be protected.
I read somewhere that Obamacare limits doctors' ability to gather data on patients' gun use. what are your thoughts on this keep in mind mental health?
Grace: My thoughts are we need to reform gun laws so we decrease the gun wounds in the hospital at the same time we need to implement Medicare for All and have universal healthcare so that everyone can the best studies of care if ever they should need a gun surgery.
We talk a lot about gun violence on a national level and less on state levels. States could also implement laws that govern gun purchases and use right? if you can, can you talk about gun laws on a federal vs state level?
Grace: I appreciate living now in Washington State because at the state level we have passed both bills, HR 1236 Extreme Risk Protection Orders and S 42 Universal Background Checks. I think this is a state that has less gun violence than other states for example Maryland. I would want to have these both at a federal level because they proved to have made safety progress in Washington State.
How do we implement and enforce sensible gun laws and a culture of safety?
Grace: We need to educate ourselves and have gun safety forums.
Is gun trafficking a serious crime?
Grace: It is not because some states do not prevent gun trafficking. Also, it is not a federal so therefore it is not a national crime.
It still baffles me that at 18 I cannot buy alcohol but I can buy cigarettes and guns. what are your thoughts on this?
Grace: We should definitely not have age limits on things that are not killing us every day. Guns are definitely something that should have an age restriction. But the question of what is the right age?
Recently we've seen massive growth in women supporting women (Feminism, MeToo movements, etc) what are your thoughts on women owning guns?
Grace: Based on the data, women are not the ones putting livings at risk because of guns.
Can't help it but ask what are your thoughts on gun violence punishment between blacks vs whites?
Grace: I definitely think that white privilege plays in the justice system. Mass incarceration is a problem and gun violence affects black men more.
What is next with you and FCNL on the fight to end gun violence or getting Congress to pass bills on it?
Grace: More media outlets because they do read when their names are mentioned. Also meeting directly with their office on the issue until May 2020.
Is there a person or experience that motivated your decision to join the gun violence prevention movement?
Grace: I am truly passionate about all injustices and gun violence affects my (black) community the most.
Is there anything else you would love to share that we haven't touched on with your work on Gun Violence prevention?
Grace: We should focus on red states but also callout members in blue regions that can help their colleagues decide to vote for the bills.
How can people connect with you and FCNL?
Email: gmag053096@gmail.com
Phone: 4436821988