An excerpted screening of the documentary film, Under the Gun with a discussion facilitated by Robyn Thomas, Executive Director of the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

Under the Gun examines the events and people who have kept the gun debate fierce and the progress slow, even as gun deaths and mass shootings continue to increase. Through the lens of families impacted by the mass shootings in Newtown, Aurora, Isla Vista and Tucson, as well as those who experience daily gun violence in Chicago, the documentary looks at why politicians are finding it difficult to act and what is being done at the state and local levels. The film is executive produced and narrated by Katie Couric and directed by Stephanie Soechtig.

Robyn Thomas oversees the development of Giffords Law Center’s policy priorities and has testified in Congress and before state and local lawmakers as an expert witness on gun laws and the American gun violence epidemic. An attorney herself, Robyn supervises the legal team’s tracking and analysis of Second Amendment litigation and firearms legislation nationwide. Additionally, she manages partnerships with other organizations, particularly pro bono partner law firms and community groups, amplifying Giffords Law Center’s reach beyond the gun violence prevention movement. Most recently, Robyn spearheaded the creation of the Firearms Accountability Counsel Taskforce, a joint venture between top law firms and the gun violence prevention movement to hold the gun lobby accountable in the courts, and Giffords Law Center’s Urban Gun Violence Initiative, which aims to help save lives through a combination of community intervention strategies and gun laws.

Prior to her work at Giffords Law Center, Robyn served as the executive director of the Tikkun Community and Tikkun Magazine.

Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, the nation’s leading policy organization dedicated to researching, writing, enacting, and defending proven laws and programs, is on a mission to save lives from gun violence by shifting culture, changing policies, and challenging injustice.

Presented by Congregation Sherith Israel, this event is part of a series of conversations and educational events on gun violence prevention hosted in collaboration with Congregation Emanu-El and Grace Cathedral.