Arizonans for Gun Safety

In 1994 the brother of Geraldine Hill was killed by a man with an AK-47 and a history of mental illness.[3] One year later, Hills created AzGS.[6]

Some other group members were similarly affected by gun violence. Jennifer Longdon joined and became a president of AzGS after she was paralyzed due to a random drive-by shooting.[7] Otis and Lory Smith joined the board of directors in 2000 after their daughter Shannon was killed from a stray bullet fired into the air.[8] The group was later instrumental in passing Shannon's Law, named after Otis and Lory's daughter.[9]

The group endorsed the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013.[10][11]

In 2014 AzGS filed an Amicus Curiae for the Appellee in the case of Heller v. District of Columbia.[12][13]

The "Release the Fear" Statue, made from 8,000 pounds of metal taken from weapons of violence in Arizona,[14] was the site of the March for Our Lives Arizona protest.[15]

AzGS was a fiscal sponsor of the 2018 March for Our Lives protests that took place in Arizona,[16] with AzGS founder Geraldine Hills helping to manage more than $14,000 that March for Our Lives raised via GoFundMe merchandise sales.[17] An estimated 15,000 people showed up at the capitol protest on March 24, 2018.[18] High-schoolers, Arizona Congressman Ruben Gallego, and Geraldine Hills all took turns at the microphone.[18]

At the September 2019 March for Our Lives protest near the "Release the Fear" statue,[15] shoes and sandals of those affected by gun violence were placed at the base of the statue, including those of former U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords.[19]