The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) and the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence (EFSGV or Ed Fund), its sister organization, are national, non-profit advocacy organizations dedicated to research-based gun violence prevention. Since 1974, CSGV has played an active role in reducing American gun violence through cutting-edge policy development and strategic advocacy.
Video Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
History
In 1974, the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society formed the National Coalition to Ban Handguns, a group of thirty religious, labor, and nonprofit organizations, with the goal of addressing "the high rates of gun-related crime and death in American society" by requiring licensing of gun owners, registering firearms, and banning private ownership of handguns. "Reasonable limited exceptions" were to be allowed for "police, military, licensed security guards, antique dealers who have guns in unfireable condition, and licensed pistol clubs where firearms are kept on the premises." In the 1980s and 1990s, the coalition grew to 44 member groups.
In 1989, following a mass shooting in Stockton, California, the National Coalition to Ban Handguns changed its name to the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, in part because the group believed that assault weapons as well as handguns should be regulated.
Maps Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
Mission
According to the organization's website, CSGV's mission is: "We believe that all Americans have a right to live in communities free from gun violence. We pursue this goal through policy development, strategic engagement, and effective advocacy." The organization has four core areas of focus and five additional areas of engagement, among others:
- Creating innovative, data-driven policy
- Disarming domestic abusers
- Preventing firearm suicides -- about 60 percent of all gun deaths
- Fighting the National Rifle Association's insurrectionist interpretation of the Second Amendment.
- Instituting universal background checks.
- Opposing guns in public, concealed carry, and concealed carry reciprocity.
- Working with communities most impacted by gun violence to create a grassroots movement for change.
- Renewing the assault weapons ban.
- Supporting the repeal of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.
Over the last several decades, CSGV has evolved into a thought-and-action leader in the modern gun violence prevention movement. The organization has been a leader in passing and enacting important, data-driven legislation at the state level. At the same time, CSGV has been uniquely vocal in its efforts to decouple interpersonal violence and mental illness, as doing so "unfairly stigmatiz(es) those living with mental illness -- the vast majority of whom will never be violent."
The group's strong focus on firearm suicide is also unique in the field. As the organization's website states, CSGV's "commitment to addressing gun violence in all its forms -- from suicide to intimate partner homicide to the shootings that never make headlines -- sets us apart."
Creating Innovative Policy
CSGV is primarily known for being on the frontlines of developing, drafting, passing, and enacting cutting-edge legislation, such as the Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO) policy -- also known as the Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) -- in states across the nation.
The GVRO allows family members and/or law enforcement officials to petition a judge to temporarily remove firearms from individuals in crisis. The policy, which is based on behavioral risk factors for dangerousness rather than a mental health diagnosis, gives loved ones the tools to protect individuals in crisis.
After the tragic shooting in Isla Vista, California in May 2014, CSGV took the lead in drafting and lobbying for the first-of-its-kind GVRO in California. The legislation passed the California Assembly and Senate and was signed into law on September 30, 2014 by Governor Brown.
Since then, CSGV has provided technical assistance to policymakers and advocacy groups working to enact ERPO/GVRO-style laws in additional states. CSGV believes that GVRO/ERPO-style policies are a plausible goal in all 50 states.
Disarming Domestic Abusers
CSGV has long been committed to preventing both fatal and non-fatal intimate partner violence committed with firearms. For years, CSGV has been working to strengthen domestic violence laws at both the state and federal level, close loopholes that allow domestic abusers to keep their firearms, and help local stakeholders implement existing laws.
Preventing Suicide
Rather than incorrectly blaming mental illness for gun homicide, CSGV focuses on the real problem associated with guns and mental illness: suicide. Approximately 20,000 individuals die from firearm suicide each year.
Suicide is often an impulsive act in a brief moment of intense despair; if a gun is readily available, a temporary crisis usually becomes a permanent loss. Reducing access to firearms during these critical moments can save lives. CSGV is committed to pursuing policies that reduce access to deadly weapons and ensure those in crisis get the help they need without stigmatizing those who live with mental illness.
Involving Impacted Communities
Together with their sister organization, CSGV has been working to involve African-Americans and other communities directly impacted by gun violence in the statewide policymaking process. Through community organizing, outreach, and education, they have organized and mobilized a diverse coalition of grassroots and grasstops advocates for change.
Taking on the NRA
CSGV has been a thought leader on insurrectionism -- violent revolt against one's government -- for years. In 2009, Executive Director Josh Horwitz co-authored Guns, Democracy, and the Insurrectionist Idea, an analysis of how the gun lobby's insurrectionist ideology threatens democratic institutions and individual liberty. CSGV's insurrectionism timeline tracks insurrectionist statements dating back to the 2008 D.C. v. Heller Supreme Court ruling.
References
External links
- Official CSGV Website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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