Stop Our Shootings

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/local/2017/09/15/road-rage-a-bullet-to-the-head-and-the-frantic-effort-to-save-a-4-year-old/?hpid=hp_rhp-top-table-main_clevelandkid-730am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.750ea1c9e023

Road rage, a bullet to the head — and the frantic effort to save a 4-year-old Almost two dozen kids are shot every day in the U.S. This 4-year-old was one of them.

Now that more people have guns in their home, it's important to understand a dramatically increased danger - especially for women and children.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thetrace.org/2016/05/gun-ownership-makes-women-safer-debunked/amp/

Gun-Rights Advocates Claim Owning a Gun Makes a Woman Safer. The Research Says They're Wrong. Studies show that when a woman owns a firearm, it is far more likely to be used against her than by her.

Stop Our Shootings successfully helped pass a bill that prevents newly manufactured guns from firing with a bullet in the chamber. Many children and adults are accidentally shot this way! Older guns still will fire with just abullet info the chamber and Police are allowed to have guns that fire that way.

Sign the Card: Thank Obama and Biden for taking action to prevent gun violence They've refused to take no for an answer or accept gun violence as the norm. Sign Sandy Hook Promise's thank-you card now.

Stop Our Shootings, First Board of Directors meeting sign in sheet, April 2001

Stop Our Shootings is dedicated to educating children not to play with guns.

Stop Our Shootings was founded in 1999 after the accidental shooting through the head of 12 year old Shanelle Johannessen Santisteban, when her best friend decided to play with a gun that was left unsecured in a briefcase as Shanelle folded clothes in her friend's closet.

Shanelle survived a near brush with death with a long recovery with her jaw wired shut, as the bullet entered the right side of her face, barely missed her spinal cord and then completely shattered her jaw on the way out.

Shanelle at that time was an honor student, Olympic-hopeful gymnast and aspiring actress. Her entire life and the dreams of a young girl came to a screeching halt that day.

Shanelle turned tragedy into triumph as she spent her teenage years traveling from school to school and speaking to entire student bodies on (1) the dangers of guns, (2) the natural attraction to pick one up and look at it, and (3) what to do if you see one.

After the talks she handed out questionnaires to the children, to help us understand what children think about guns.

Teachers remarked that they had never seen their students more polite and riveted, never leaving early, and lining up single file to thank her and shake her hand after.

Shanelle is now happily married with four beautiful children!

If you or anyone you know is the victim of an accidental shooting, please have them contact us.

http://www.stopourshootings.org/home.aspx

www.stopourshootings.org