Ambassador Packet

Dear Allies and Friends,

Thank you for sharing the Denver Accord with your organization and colleagues. The Ambassador Packet includes background about the Denver Accord and GVPedia, talking points, a template press release for your organization, a template letter to policymakers, social media content, and a Denver Accord logo.

The contributors to the Denver Accord were asked to provide the most effective, evidence-based policies and legislation to reduce several aspects of gun violence including suicide, domestic violence, unintentional shootings, homicide, police violence, and how to improve research. The contributions were distilled into four principles and nine policies.

The Four Principles:

  1. Guns do not make us safer. Perhaps the most urgent change we must make is to dispel the myth that guns make us safer. While the United States has 393 million firearms in civilian hands, we also have the highest rate of assault deaths and the highest number of mass shootings of any other developed country.
  2. Gun violence in America is a pervasive public health crisis that demands substantial policy solutions and well-funded programs that effectively reduce gun violence. More than 100 people are shot in America every day. About two-thirds of those deaths are suicide–almost all are preventable. We cannot continue to ignore gun violence and the toll it has taken on our country.
  3. Equitable and just enforcement of gun laws is paramount. Some communities suffer the ill effects of the gun lobby’s dangerous “guns everywhere” agenda more than others. Black and Brown communities that also suffer from other socio-economic factors, such as poverty, experience violence at rates that would be unthinkable in other places. In recent years, however, the emergence of  community-led, non-legislative approaches have flourished and preliminary data is encouraging.
  4. Everyone has the right to live free from violence.

Gun violence is a multi-faceted problem that demands a comprehensive approach to eradicate. There is no easy solution. No single policy or program alone is sufficient to address the magnitude of the crisis. The Denver Accord is designed to address the complexity and enormity of this problem.

GVPedia thanks all the survivors, advocates, and researchers who made contributions to the Denver Accord. We are grateful for your insights, experience, and technical expertise. If you have not already, we invite you or your organization to become a signatory to the Denver Accord by completing the form at this link.

We have developed the following materials for you to help us spread the word about the Denver Accord and its life-saving policies. We encourage you to use these materials to get the word out to your local media and policymakers that we, the American people, have a solution in the Denver Accord to address the scourge of gun violence on our streets. 

Devin Hughes
Penny Okamoto
Victoria Coy
GVPedia

Talking Points: Key Points, Details, History

Key Points

  • The Denver Accord is a comprehensive gun violence prevention platform designed to guide policymakers’ efforts to reduce gun violence in the United States. 
  • Led by GVPedia, it is supported by more than 40 gun violence prevention organizations across the country, including Survivors Empowered, Newtown Action Alliance, States United to Prevent Gun Violence, Orange Ribbons for Jaime, and the Women’s March, representing more than 1 million people. 
  • The Denver Accord combines best practices from across the country with evidence-based research to create a comprehensive and effective set of policies and programs intended to stop the scourge of gun violence in the United States.
  • The Denver Accord includes four guiding principles and nine policy positions that, working in conjunction with each other, will stem the epidemic. 
  • There is no single solution to gun violence in America but it is clear that more guns do not make people safer. It is a multifaceted problem that requires a comprehensive solution.
  • We are asking the 2020 presidential candidates to adopt the Denver Accord and commit to stopping the gun violence epidemic in our country.

Details of the Denver Accord

The Denver Accord endorses the following principles: 

  • Guns do not make Americans safer.
  • Gun violence in America is a pervasive public health crisis that demands substantial policy solutions and well-funded programs that effectively reduce gun violence. 
  • Equitable and just enforcement of gun laws is paramount.
  • Everyone has the right to live free from violence.
  • The Denver Accord recommends the following policies:
    • Licensing
    • Registration
    • Extreme Risk Protection Orders
    • Safe Storage
    • Reduce Lethality of Firearms and Ammunition
    • Strengthen and Enforce Existing Gun Laws
    • Reduce Presence of Firearms in Public Spaces
    • Fund and Proliferate Community-Based Solutions
    • Police Reform

History of the Denver Accord

  • The Denver Accord was born at GVPedia’s 2019 Gun Violence Prevention Conference in Denver, CO on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the school shooting at Columbine.
  • Gun violence prevention organizations and academic researchers from across the country contributed best practices and evidence-based policies to create this comprehensive, multi-faceted platform.
  • The Denver Accord is the most comprehensive gun violence prevention platform presented at this time.

Press Release Template for Announcement That Your Organization Is Asking Presidential Candidates to Support Denver Accord

Denver-Accord-TEMPLATE-PRESS-RELEASE-PDF-1

Press Release Template to Ask Policymakers to Support the Denver Accord.

DENVER-ACCORD-TEMPLATE-LETTER-TO-POLICYMAKERS-PDF

Social Media Content

Below are social media posts you can use on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to show your support for the Denver Accord and encourage your followers to learn more. Use the hashtag #adoptDenverAccord to spread the word.

Twitter:

We are proud to join over 40 other organizations in support of the Denver Accord, a comprehensive gun violence prevention platform. Learn more:https://denveraccord.org/   #adoptDenverAccord VISUAL: LOGO 

Gun violence is a multifaceted problem that cannot be solved with one simple solution. We support the Denver Accord, the most comprehensive platform to reduce gun violence. Learn more: https://denveraccord.org/ #adoptDenverAccord VISUAL: LOGO

Facebook:

More than 100 people are shot in American every day and there are 393 firearms in civilian hands in the United States. Gun violence is a multi-faceted problem that cannot be solved with a simple solution. We support the Denver Accord, a comprehensive, evidence-based policy platform that will reduce gun violence in the US. To learn more, visit: https://denveraccord.org/ VISUAL: LOGO

Instagram:

More than 100 people are shot in American everyday with the 393 firearms in civilian hands in the United States (more than the population of this country). Gun violence is a multi-faceted problem that cannot be solved with a simple solution. We support the Denver Accord, a comprehensive, evidence-based policy platform that will reduce gun violence in the US. To learn more, visit: https://denveraccord.org/ #adoptDenverAccord #gunsafety #gvp

Denver Accord Logo

We encourage you to add the Denver Accord logo to your website with the following statement:

“We are proud supporters of the Denver Accord, a comprehensive gun violence prevention platform that combines best practice with academic research to stop the gun violence epidemic in the United States. To learn more about how you can support the Denver Accord, visit https://denveraccord.org/.”