Fight Like a Mother
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1.Everytown for Gun Safety, “#NotAnAccident Index,” https://everytownresearch.org/notanaccident/, accessed January 25, 2019.
2.K. A. Fowler, L. L. Dahlberg, T. Haileyesus, C. Gutierrez, and S. Bacon, “Childhood Firearm Injuries in the United States,” Pediatrics 140, no. 1 (2017), http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/140/1/e20163486.
3.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Injury Prevention and Control, WISQARS (Web-Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System), https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html. Averages developed using five years of data, 2012–2016.
4.E. Grinshteyn and D. Hemenway, “Violent Death Rates: The US Compared with Other High-Income OECD Countries,” American Journal of Medicine 129, no. 3 (2016): 266–273.
5.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, WISQARS. A percentage change was developed using 2007–2016 age-adjusted rates for all ages.
6.A. Anglemyer, T. Horvath, and G. Rutherford, “The Accessibility of Firearms and Risk for Suicide and Homicide Victimization Among Household Members: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis,” Annals of Internal Medicine 160 (2014): 101–110.
7.M. Miller, D. Azrael, and D. Hemenway, “The Epidemiology of Case Fatality Rates for Suicide in the Northeast,” Annals of Emergency Medicine 43, no. 6 (2004): 723–730; S. B. Vyrostek, J. L. Annest, and G. W. Ryan, “Surveillance for Fatal and Nonfatal Injuries: United States, 2001,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Surveillance Summaries 53, no. 7 (2004): 1–57.
8.Vyrostek, Annest, and Ryan, “Surveillance”; M. Miller, D. Azrael, and C. Barber, “Suicide Mortality in the United States: The Importance of Attending to Method in Understanding Population-Level Disparities in the Burden of Suicide,” Annual Review of Public Health 33 (2012): 393–408.
9.E. A. Deisenhammer, C. M. Ing, R. Strauss, G. Kemmler, H. Hinterhuber, and E. M. Weiss, “The Duration of the Suicidal Process: How Much Time Is Left for Intervention Between Consideration and Accomplishment of a Suicide Attempt?” Journal of Clinical Psychology 70, no. 1 (2007): 19–24; T. R. Simon, A. C. Swann, K. E. Powell, L. B. Potter, M. Kresnow, and P. W. O’Carroll, “Characteristics of Impulsive Suicide Attempts and Attempters,” Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 32, suppl. (2001): 49–59.
10.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, WISQARS. Percentage developed using five years of most recent available data (2012–2016) and age-adjusted rates.
11.Ibid. Yearly average developed using five years of most recent available data: 2012–2016. Children defined as ages zero to nineteen; percentage change was developed using 2007–2016 crude rates for children and teens (ages zero to nineteen).
12.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Adolescent and School Health, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), 2017 data, https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/index.htm.
13.D. Azrael, J. Cohen, C. Salhi, and M. Miller, “Firearm Storage in Gun-Owning Households with Children: Results of a 2015 National Survey,” Journal of Urban Health 95, no. 3 (2018): 295–304. The study defined children as younger than eighteen.
14.R. M. Johnson, C. Barber, D. Azrael, D. E. Clark, and D. Hemenway, “Who Are the Owners of Firearms Used in Adolescent Suicides?” Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 40, no. 6 (2010): 609–611. The study defined children as younger than eighteen.
15.J. W. Swanson, M. Norko, H. Lin, K. Alanis-Hirsch, L. Frisman, M. Baranoski, M. Easter, A. G. Robertson, M. Swartz, and R. J. Bonnie, “Implementation and Effectiveness of Connecticut’s Risk-Based Gun Removal Law: Does It Prevent Suicides?” Law and Contemporary Problems 80 (2017): 179–208.
16.D. C. Grossman, B. A. Mueller, C. Riedy, et al., “Gun Storage Practices and Risk of Youth Suicide and Unintentional Injuries,” JAMA 293, no. 6 (2005): 707–714. The study found that households that locked both firearms and ammunition had an 85 percent lower risk of unintentional firearm deaths than those that locked neither.
About the Author
SHANNON WATTS is the founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America—the leading force for gun violence prevention, with chapters in all fifty states and a powerful grassroots network of “mothers and others” that has successfully effected change at the local, state, and national levels. In 2013, Moms Demand Action partnered with Mayors Against Illegal Guns to form Everytown for Gun Safety, a nationwide movement of millions of Americans working together to end the epidemic of gun violence. Watts is an active board member of Emerge America, one of the nation’s leading organizations for recruiting and training women to run for office. She is a mother of five.
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Advance Praise for Fight Like a Mother
“Too many mothers have been tragically impacted by gun violence, and yet they courageously turn their grief and frustration into action. I’m honored to fight alongside them, working in the Congress to pass effective, commonsense gun violence prevention reforms, and I’m so glad Shannon Watts has written this book and provided a road map for other everyday activists to make a difference.”
—Speaker Nancy Pelosi
“There’s never been more energy behind America’s gun safety movement than there is today, and Shannon Watts and Moms Demand Action are a big reason why. Shannon is fearless, and her story shows that change—even on the toughest issues—really is possible.”
—Michael Bloomberg, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and three-term mayor of New York City
“There is nothing more powerful than a mother on a mission—and Shannon perfectly explains why. This mother has fought to lay the groundwork for one of America’s largest movements for gun violence prevention.”
—Congresswoman Lucy McBath (GA-06)
“A page-turner, overflowing with moving stories as well as practical advice for those who are waking up to the realization that there is too much at stake to sit on the sidelines. . . . Shannon’s courage and down-to-earth approach radiate from every page, and the theme of finding her ‘soul sisters’ in her fight is as powerful as it is universal.”
—Cecile Richards, former president of Planned Parenthood and New York Times bestselling author of Make Trouble
“Shannon Watts is a true activist for our time. After Sandy Hook, she channeled her despair and fury into action. Fight Like a Mother will inspire you to take an issue on and, ultimately, change the world.”
—Katie Couric, journalist, New York Times bestselling author, cancer advocate, podcast host, and documentary filmmaker
“Shannon Watts is the embodiment of an age-old story that never ceases to inspire: anyone, regardless of who and where they are in life, can create a paradigm shift. Even if change seems impossible. Fight Like a Mother is practical and personal—not only equipping you with the necessary and nitty-gritty tools to start a movement, but also the fearless mentality to do it now.”
—Preet Bharara, former US attorney and host of the Stay Tuned with Preet podcast
“Shannon Watts’s fight is for her kids and all our kids. That fight animates her work with Moms Demand Action, her life, and her wonderful book. In Fight Like a Mother, Shannon shows how she stewards this rocket ship of hope for those of us distraught by the epidemic of gun violence in our country through clear, disciplined approaches to movement building, volunteering, branding, and deep gun violence data literacy. A great read!”
—Chelsea Clinton, New York Times bestselling author and vice chair of the Clinton Foundation
“It’s encouraging to see someone tell the story that, sadly, has unfolded over and over again in this country—moms springing into action when their children are put at risk. This book has the potential to become a primer on how to activate the parent community and make change so we can see a better tomorrow.”
—Soledad O’Brien, journalist, documentarian, news anchor, and producer
“Shannon Watts is proof that activism and community can actually change laws and lives. Fight Like a Mother is a brilliant call to action for anyone hoping to get
off the sidelines and create meaningful and lasting impact.”
—Sophia Bush, actress and activist
“The world needs angry women right now. It’s time we embrace the passion and action behind saying ‘enough is enough.’ Fight Like a Mother is a testament to the positive power of women’s anger and using it as an unstoppable force for change.”
—Soraya Chemaly, writer, activist, and bestselling author of Rage Becomes Her
“There is nothing more powerful than a mother’s love, and there is nothing more terrifying than a mama bear protecting her cubs. Shannon and Moms Demand Action have revolutionized grassroots organizing; and they’ve successfully challenged and beat back one of the most powerful lobbying groups in DC: the NRA. This book is a guidebook to all who are looking to drive real and lasting change in their communities.”
—Congresswoman Robin L. Kelly (IL-02)
“Shannon is an inspiration to every mom fighting to build a better, safer country for our kids. Her story reminds us that, together, we can be a powerful force for change—and that you should never underestimate a mom’s ability to get things done.”
—Governor Gina M. Raimondo of Rhode Island
“Have you ever thought you weren’t powerful enough to make a difference? Well, Shannon Watts is proof that one fiercely dedicated person can impact an entire movement. Fight Like a Mother illuminates how the very skills that we use daily as mothers are the exact skills necessary to take down the NRA. Shannon is my personal hero. Read this book and she will be yours as well.”
—Debra Messing, actress, advocate, and activist
Copyright
Shannon Watts will donate a majority of the books’ proceeds to nonprofits working to end gun violence.
FIGHT LIKE A MOTHER. Copyright © 2019 by Shannon Watts. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
Cover design: © HarperCollins
Cover images: Sam Simmonds | Polaris Images, LittlePerfectStock | Shutterstock
Digital Edition MAY 2019 ISBN: 978-0-06-289263-8
Version 04202019
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-289256-0
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