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Gun Safety Activist Shannon Watts to Participate in Union County Gun Violence Awareness Event

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce that nationally renowned gun safety activist Shannon Watts, founder of the national Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense organization, will participate in a free screening and discussion of the 2016 documentary film Making a Killing: Gus, Greed and the NRA in partnership on Wednesday, September 12, at 7:00 p.m. at the STEM Building auditorium at Kean University, 1075 Morris Avenue in Union Township.

Governor Phil Murphy’s Senior Advisor on Firearms, Bill Castner will also speak at the event, which is sponsored by the Freeholder Board in partnership with the non-profit organization Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in New Jersey.

The event is free but pre-registration is requested online at ucnj.org/making-a-killing-movie-screening.

“We need forceful national policies that promote safety for all communities, and Ms. Watts has been an effective and eloquent agent for change,” said Freeholder Chairman Sergio Granados. “I hope that people will come to the screening to learn, to ask questions, and to help create new pathways for reform.”

Making a Killing tells the stories of how guns affect the lives of everyday Americans. It features personal stories from people across the country who have been impacted by gun violence, including survivors and victims’ families involved in unintentional shootings, domestic violence, suicides, mass shootings and trafficking.

The film also focuses on the role of gun manufacturers in promoting a legislative environment that enables gun violence to continue in the US, far beyond levels experienced in other western democracies.

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in New Jersey is an affiliate of the national Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America organization founded by Ms. Watts in 2012, shortly after a gunman murdered 20 children ages six and seven, and six adult staff members, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

The organization quickly grew into a leading force for gun violence prevention, with chapters in all 50 states. Moms Demand Action is part of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country at more than four million supporters. 

 

Making a Killing was produced by the film company Brave New Films. To see a trailer, follow the registration link or visit bravenewfilms.org/making_a_killing_guns.

For more information about the September 12 event contact Nathalie Hernandez, Coordinator, Union County Office of Community Engagement and Diversity at nahernandez@ucnj.org or 908-527-4880.

 

The Union County Office of Community Engagement and Diversity is part of Chairman Granados’s “Moving Union County Forward” initiative for individual empowerment, education and community service. More information about the office is available at ucnj.org.

 

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