National Educators Call, Dick's Sporting Goods, Up to Date Gun violence and crime incidents, Kyle Lemle, Brontë Velez, Lead to Life,Sustainable Action Network (SAN), Gun Safety

Educators across the country have raised their hand and joined our movement to end gun violence in our schools and communities. Now, in just the last two months, our national team of educators has DOUBLED in size!

In the wake of the shooting in Parkland, FL, and the renewed student-led energy to stop gun violence in our schools, you have a unique opportunity as educators to stay involved in this growing movement.

That's why next Wednesday, April 11, we'll be hosting a national conversation for educators, and we want you to be a part of it! This will be a great opportunity to catch up on current gun safety policy priorities that affect educators and students, and we'll also let you know how you can plug into our quickly-growing Students Demand Action initiative and join upcoming days of action around the country.

We need you in our movement! Register to join the April 11 National Educators Call today >>

National Educators Call
Wednesday, April 11
8:30pm Eastern / 5:30pm Pacific

Join the Conversation!

Educators like you are a critical voice in the fight to stop gun violence in our schools. And you're already showing up in record numbers, from walking together in historic marches to helping student leaders in your classrooms.
Whether you've been involved for years or you're brand new to the movement, we're counting on you to add your voice with the more than 10,000 educators across America who have stepped up just like you. Sign up for the April 11 national call today and be a part of the conversation!

Up to Date Gun violence and crime incidents
Gun violence  and crime incidents are collected/validated from 2,500 sources daily – incidents and their source data are found at the gunviolencearchive.org website.
1: Actual number of deaths and injuries
2: Number of INCIDENTS reported and verified

22,000 Annual Suicides not included on Daily Summary Ledger
Numbers on this table reflect a subset of all information
collected and will not add to 100% of incidents.
www.gunviolencearchive.org  www.facebook.com/gunviolencearchive
Data Validated: April 07, 2018
These Activists Are Melting Down Guns and Turning Them Into Shovels for Ceremonial Tree Plantings!

Ready to feel inspired? Kyle Lemle and Brontë Velez are co-founders of the non-profit “Lead to Life,” which works to melt down guns and turn them into gardening tools. Powerful, right? Well, Lead to Life’s vision doesn’t stop there. Once the weapons have been transformed, the gardening tools are used for ceremonial tree plantings in areas that have been impacted by gun violence, such as mass shootings, suicide, domestic violence, and gang warfare.

Lead to Life’s most recent project includes 50 guns received from the San Francisco-based violence prevention organization, United Playaz. Lead to Life is planning on transforming the guns into shovels, which will be used to plant 50 trees to commemorate the 50 years since civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.’s death. 
Alongside Minnesota metal artist James Brenner, Lead to Life will host a casting ceremony on April 6th, 2018 at The King Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, Georgia. 
Once the shovels are used to dig the holes for the trees, they will be donated to farmers in the Atlanta area through programs such as Grow Where You Are Farm, Truly Living Well Center, and Ganstas to Growers, which trains formerly imprisoned youth. 
“We’re liberating the metal in the weapon from its history of violence — and giving it a new life,” said Kyle Lemle, co-founder of Lead to Life.
If you, or someone you know, lives in the Atlanta area, please show your support for this fantastic cause! 
Lead to Life hopes to host a similar campaign next fall in Oakland, California, where gun owners can disable their own weapons and drop off the gun parts. The guns will be transformed into gardening tools to help plant more urban forests and gardens. “Violence against each other and violence against the planet — they come from the same crisis within us. We are disconnected from each other, and need to heal,” said Lemle.

For more information about Lead to Life, click here to visit their website. You can also follow them on Facebook, and please be sure to spread the word! Image Source: Lead to Life

DICK'S Sporting Goods announced they will no longer sell assault-style rifles or allow anyone below the age of 21 to purchase a firearm. Peter has started a petition calling on Academy Sports + Outdoors to follow DICK's lead and ban the sale of assault-style firearms.
JK Symancyk: SOS: Save our students and halt the sale of assault rifles at Academy Sports

Our students deserve to go to school without being in fear of their lives.

The Parkland, Florida, High School shooting illustrated, yet again, how the easy availability of military grade weaponry, at places like Academy Sports and Outdoors, puts our students at extreme risk.

Academy is a place I know for swimming and running gear, kids bicycles and pool toys, not lethal assault rifles.

Join me in petitioning the CEO of Academy Sports and Outdoors, JK Symancyk, to halt the sale of assault rifles at all Academy outlets.