About Americans Against Gun Violence
Americans Against Gun Violence was founded in March of 2016 by a group of us who were frustrated by the fact that despite repeated mass shootings and an ongoing epidemic of gun violence that claims over 90 lives a day in the United States, we couldn’t find any other organization in the entire country that openly advocates the adoption of definitive gun control laws comparable to the laws already in place in every other high income democratic nation of the world – countries in which mass shootings are rare or non-existent and in which overall rates of gun violence are much lower than in the USA. We founded Americans Against Gun Violence based upon our conviction that the American people have not only the ability, but also the moral responsibility, to reduce rates of gun violence in the United States to levels at or below those in other high income democratic countries, and that in order to do so, we must adopt comparable gun control regulations.
Americans Against Gun Violence is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We don’t employ paid lobbyists. We rely instead on the activism of our members, some of whom are pictured on the banner of this website. Pictures of other members who who have volunteered to be photographed “taking a stand against gun violence” can be accessed via the link at the bottom of this page.
The President of Americans Against Gun Violence, Dr. Bill Durston, is a retired emergency physician as well as a former expert marksman in the United States Marine Corps, decorated for “courage under fire” during the Vietnam War. Dr. Durston and the other members of the Board of Directors of Americans Against Gun Violence all volunteer their time, and all have extensive experience in grass roots organizing. In the short time since we founded Americans Against Gun Violence, there’s been a gratifying response from other members of the American public looking for an organization that will work toward definitive measures to stop gun violence in our country.
We invite you to read our full mission statement on the homepage and to explore the rest of the Americans Against Gun Violence website, including the “Facts and FAQ’s” page, which includes information that all Americans should know about guns and gun violence in the United States.
The banner of our website features a quotation from the late Senator Thomas Dodd who issued the following statement in a press release and a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate almost 50 years ago:
Pious condolences will no longer suffice….Quarter measures and half measures will no longer suffice….The time has now come that we must adopt stringent gun control legislation comparable to the legislation in force in virtually every civilized country in the world.
Between the time that Senator Dodd made this statement in 1968 and today, more U.S. civilians have died of gunshot wounds than all the U.S. soldiers killed in all the wars in which the United States has ever been involved.
We hope that you’ll agree with us that we, the American people, can – and must – take urgent, definitive action to stop the epidemic of gun violence that afflicts our country. And if you do agree, please go to the Join/Donate page of this website to become a member of Americans Against Gun Violence and to make an additional donation, if you’re able. Both membership payments and contributions are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by United States Internal Revenue Service regulations.
After you’ve joined Americans Against Gun Violence, please also go to the Facts and FAQ’s page of this website to learn about other action that you can take right now to help stop gun violence.
As we note in our mission statement, we’re sure that one day, the United States will adopt stringent gun control laws comparable to the laws already in place in every other high income democratic country of the world. The only question is how many more Americans will die needlessly of gunshot wounds before that day arrives. With your help, we’ll stop the epidemic of gun violence in our country sooner rather than later.
