John,
It hasn’t been an easy start to 2026. The deadly shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent left us all questioning how this could happen — not to mention dire school shootings and everyday gun violence in our communities.
But it is during these tough times that we must also remember that there’s hope for a safer future. Even if the Trump administration has quietly, but deliberately, worked to dismantle policies and programs that keep Americans safe from gun violence, we are still making life-saving progress at the state level. That’s why I am writing to you today.
My name is Tanya Schardt and I am the senior counsel and director of state and federal policy at Brady. I chose to work at Brady because I see how the gun violence epidemic has affected so many people — and I know it can be prevented.
Right now, Brady is gearing up for the 2026 legislative sessions in nearly 20 states — and we’re determined to build on our progress from 2025 when we helped pass 50 gun safety bills nationwide.
In Virginia, the state where I began this work, we now have a gun safety trifecta. We’re hoping for a transformative session where we pass an assault weapon and large-capacity magazine ban, establish a Center for Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention, ensure victims and survivors can hold the gun industry accountable in court, ban ghost guns, and SO much more.
In California, New York, and New Jersey, we’re focused on bills which will help ensure that taxpayer dollars are not spent at irresponsible gun dealers who break the law and fuel gun violence in our communities. And we have a blueprint for success after our historic win in Colorado last year, where we helped pass the first state level law that ensures taxpayer dollars used to purchase law enforcement firearms are only spent at the most responsible gun dealers.
In Washington State, along with New York and New Jersey, we’re advocating for strong secure storage mandates to ensure that firearms are always securely stored to prevent instances of family fire — a shooting that results from someone misusing an unsecured firearm from the home.
This is life-changing work that will have a real and immediate impact in reducing gun violence in our communities, helping to prevent tragedies before they happen. We have a multi-pronged plan to address all forms of gun violence — and we are going to win this fight.
But we need all the help we can get and that’s why I’m reaching out to you today, friend. Will you please consider supporting Brady’s state policy team and our work in communities nationwide? Whether you dedicate your time, treasure, or talent, you can fuel our mission to save lives.
