WV In the News

Gun safety advocates urge the community to take action heading into holiday season

With the holidays upon us and people opening up their homes, gun safety advocates are urging the community to take action. This follows the November 19 incident where a 3-year-old boy found a gun and shot himself, as reported by KSDK.

Cathy Gilbert, past co-chair of the Campaign for Common Sense Gun Solutions committee, shared with KSDK that a simple device (a gun lock) can prevent tragedies. 

Read the story here.

St. Louis Residents Urged to Secure Firearms

March 30, 2022

In the wake of two tragic shootings that left three young people dead in the St. Louis area, City of St. Louis leaders are urging residents to secure their firearms and take advantage of FREE gun locks available through multiple partnerships with Women’s Voices’ Lock It for Love program.

News stories related to these incidents:

Gun locks distributed in St. Louis after recent child shootings

Byers’ Beat: Organizations surround families, neighborhoods where 3 children have died in 2 accidental shootings this week

As child shootings rock community, ER doctors encourage safety

Woman arrested after 12-year-old killed by brother who found gun, police say

Woman charged after 12-year-old boy shot, killed by 10-year-old relative in St. Louis

Woman arrested after 10-year-old shoots, kills 12-year-old while playing with gun

STL City, community organizations call on residents to practice responsible gun ownership

St. Louis police identify 12-year-old killed by brother; woman arrested

City of St. Louis Urges Residents to Utilize “Lock It For Love” Gun Lock Program at St. Louis Fire Engine Houses, Select Public Library Branches, Area SLMPD Stations

Fatal Shooting by a Toddler

December 1, 2021

In late November a man was fatally shot in his St. Louis home. The shooter? His two-year old son, with a rifle that was loaded and not locked.

Many gun owners do not secure firearms in homes where children live. Many believe that they have hidden firearms from children. But all too often, children and teens find guns – with tragic consequences.

Many people also think that young children lack the strength to shoot a firearm, even if they found one – but this story explodes that myth.

KSDK interviewed Women’s Voices member Cathy Gilbert after this tragedy. Cathy explained that unintentional shootings in homes are entirely preventable if firearms are securely stored: locked and unloaded.

Women’s Voices’ Lock It for Love program has free gun locks available at all 30 St. Louis City fire stations and at selected St. Louis City and County library branches. Watch Cathy’s interview here.

One Stunning Weekend of Gun Violence

June 21, 2021

Three young girls were among the 13 victims of gun violence in St. Louis in June over Father’s Day weekend. In one case, an 8 year-old girl accidentally shot herself in the thumb and the bullet grazed the leg of her 9 year-old sister.

Interviewed by KSDK, Cathy Gilbert, co-chair of the Campaign for Common Sense Gun Solutions, noted that these incidents are heart-breaking and all too common. Cathy explained that gun locks provide a simple and effective way to avoid unintentional shootings, and she demonstrated how easy it is to use a gun lock. Watch the interview here.

The KSDK story also noted that the Women’s Voices Lock It for Love gun locks are available, free of charge, at all 30 St. Louis fire stations and at four branches of the St. Louis City Library.  Women’s Voices pays for the locks that we give free to community members, so we appreciate your supporting our work by making a donation here.

Women’s Voices Announces New Partnerships to Distribute Gun Locks

April 13, 2021

At a news conference on Tuesday, April 13, 2021, Women’s Voices announced a new partnership with the St. Louis Fire Department. Free gun locks will be available at all 30 firehouses in the City of St. Louis. Locks are also available at four St. Louis County Library branches and four St. Louis Public Library Branches. Read more about these partnerships and details about where to pick up a free gun lock here.

Fox 2 News

KMOV News 4

KSDK Ch. 5 press conference announcement

KSDK Ch. 5 press conference coverage

St. Louis Post Dispatch

Cathy Gilbert Urges Safe Storage of Guns

April 11, 2021

Cathy Gilbert spoke to KSDK News Channel 5 after the accidental shooting of a 4-year-old in St. Louis. “My heart is breaking for that little girl, her sisters, the entire family. If that gun had been unloaded and locked, this tragedy would never had happened,” Cathy Gilbert said.

“We have gun locks available now at the four branches of the City Library. All a person has to do is walk in and say I need a lock,” Gilbert said.

Watch the interview here.

Ruth Ehresman Describes how Women’s Voices Pivots During the COVID-19 Pandemic

March 28, 2021

Shirley Washington, host of The Pulse of St. Louis, interviewed Women’s Voices co-president, Ruth Ehresman, where they discussed how Women’s Voices has pivoted during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue our work. Watch the interview here.

 

Cathy Gilbert Discusses Ease of Using Gun Locks

August 14, 2020

Following the preventable death of a 13-year-old, Cathy Gilbert was interviewed on KSDK Channel 5 about the use of gun locks. In response to those who fear it would take too long to unlock a firearm she had this to say: “Practice with a gun lock. It doesn’t take long to put a key in a lock and turn it and put your gun back together. You can also purchase a bio-metric gun safe or a combination gun safe where you punch in the numbers like you do on your phone. You might think it takes too long to unlock your gun lock, but you need to think about how long you will be without a child, if that child found a gun first.”

See the full interview here.

Cathy Gilbert Urges Safe Storage of Firearms Following Preventable Shooting

July 15, 2020

Cathy Gilbert, co-chair of the Women’s Voices Campaign for Common-Sense Gun Solutions Committee spoke with Jenna Barnes on KSDK Channel 5 News following the accidental shooting death of a 6-year-old in St. Louis.

“You’ve made a decision that you need a firearm for safety in your house, but you need to recognize the risk of a loaded, unlocked firearm to a child is significant, and you are putting your children at risk if you do not secure those guns,” she said. See the full interview here.

Women’s Voices has distributed 140 gun locks at events just this week.

Free gun locks will be available on Mondays, July 20 & July 27 at the following locations:

  • Weber Road Branch, St. Louis County Library, 4444 Weber Rd. 63123 – 10 a.m.-noon
  • Natural Bridge Branch, St. Louis County Library, 7606 Natural Bridge Rd, 63121 – 10 a.m.-noon
  • Lewis & Clark Branch, St. Louis County Library, 9909 Lewis and Clark Blvd, 63136 – 10 a.m.-noon
  • Free COVID-19 Testing & Public Safety Resource Event at the Victor Roberts Building, 1408 N. Kingshighway, 63113 – 9-11:30 a.m.

Wednesday, July 22 & July 20:

  • Florissant Valley Branch, St. Louis County Library, 195 N New Florissant Rd, Florissant, 63031 – 10 a.m.-noon

Cathy Gilbert talks about how WV urges gun lock usage to prevent unintentional shootings with children

May 15, 2020

After several St. Louis children lose their lives to unintentional shootings, Cathy Gilbert, co-chair of the Women’s Voices Campaign for Common-Sense Gun Solutions Committee talks on KSDK Channel 5 News about the need for gun locks. “In March and April of this year, there was an increase of more than 40% of unintentional shootings with children,” Gilbert said…But it’s not just shootings. Since the pandemic started, there’s been a spike in gun sales, too. See the full interview here.

Andrea Bauman says safe fire arm storage even more important during COVID-19 crisis

March 31, 2020 – KSDK Channel 5 OnYour Side

More than ever, as children are home during the COVID-19 pandemic…. “The hospitals are struggling the way it is with COVID-19, and they need those hospitals for those patients, not for victims of gun violence.” See the full interview here.

Harriet Kopolow, co-chair of the Common-Sense Gun Solutions Committee, interviewed on Fox 2 News

January 12, 2020

In the interview Harriet Kopolow shared information from a recent Harvard University study that shows securing guns greatly reduce the chance of injury. Hear the interview here.

St Louis Fire Department to work with Lock It for Love to distribute gun locks

December 3, 2019

Andrea Bauman, co-chair of the Common-Sense Gun Solutions Committee and St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed interviewed by Fox 2 News about new program with the St. Louis Fire Department to distribute gun locks. See the interview here.

Mary Schuman, WV board member and Lock It for Love Volunteer interviewed

September 22, 2019

KMOV Channel 4 interviewed Women’s Voices board member and Lock It for Love volunteer Mary Schuman at an event at the Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church Community Fair on Saturday, September 21. The event was organized to provide tools to decrease the gun violence in our community. KMOV spoke with the church minister, a woman who suffered a gun shot wound and WV member Mary Schuman about our program to promote responsible gun ownership and the use of gun locks. See the interview here.

Andrea Bauman, co-chair of the Campaign for Common Sense Gun Solutions committee interviewed

September 20, 2019

KMOV channel 4 interviewed Andrea Bauman about this weekend’s Lock It for Love events, where volunteers will provide gun safety education and distribute FREE gun locks to keep kids safe. See the interview here.

LIFL Events for Sat., 9/21:

noon – 4 p.m.
South Grand Fall Fest
3147 South Grand Blvd.

10 am – 2 pm
Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church
3506 Cass

Former Women’s Voices president Lise Bernstein interviewed about gun locks

September 13, 2019

Following the death of a 3-year-old who found his father’s loaded gun and shot himself, Lise Bernstein was interviewed about the Women’s Voices Lock It for Love gun safety education and free gun lock program. Watch the interview on KSDK Channel 5 here. Watch to the interview on Fox 2 News here.

St. Louis native and a face of Black Lives Matter speaks at Ethical Society of St. Louis

June 13, 2019

See KPLR’s coverage of the Women’s Voices event “Visionary Voices: A Candid Conversation with Brittany Packnett.”

 

St. Louis Native Brittany Packnett Discusses Work Around Justice, Empowerment and Difference-Making

June 13, 2019

Listen to the interview of Brittany Packnett on St. Louis on the Air.

 

Congratulations to “Unsung Hero” Barbara Finch

May 22, 2019

Barbara receives award from Jewish Light editor Ellen Futterman

Women’s Voices co-founder Barbara Finch was one of eight individuals and two groups honored as 2019 Jewish Light Unsung Heroes at a May 22 ceremony.  Unsung Heroes shines a light on individuals of any faith who volunteer to help the St. Louis Jewish community, and Jewish St. Louisans who volunteer not only within the local Jewish community but also the community at-large.

Barbara became a Jew by choice, converting to Judaism 25 years ago.  “I am really attracted to the whole concept of tikkun olam (repairing the world).  I was impressed by the concept of how I or a small group of people could make things better,” Barbara said.

With Barbara: Judy Martin-Finch; John Finch; Sam Finch; Lise Bernstein; Judi Jennetten

From an article in the St. Louis Jewish Light:

Barbara Finch co-founded Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice in 2005 to educate people about social injustice issues and advocate for change. Membership now tops 500.

Gun control. The environment. Affordable health care. Economic justice. Human rights. Racial justice. Reproductive justice. “Those are our core issues right now,” Finch said, adding that Women’s Voices sponsors free public lectures by experts on issues.

“We go on field trips, we protest, we march in parades like the Pride parade,” said Finch, who belongs to Central Reform Congregation. “We talk about how discrimination affects people of color.”

The group has no religious affiliation and, despite its name, people of any gender, race or age, are welcome.

Read more in the feature, “Passion for social justice issues drives co-founder of ‘Women’s Voices’ group,” published in the St. Louis Jewish Light and watch their video about Barbara here.

 

2018

December 11, 2018

Women’s Voices member Andrea Bauman is interviewed about the importance of using gun locks to prevent shootings such as the one that injured two young children in Pagedale, MO.

See the interview here

 

2017

December 20, 2017

President Lise Bernstein Interviewed about Gun Buyback Program

Ksdk Channel 5 interview

September 26, 2017

September 24, 2017

Interviews with Women’s Voices president Lise Bernstein

After St. Louis man shot and killed by a 2 year child, KTVI KPLR reporter Kelly Hoskins interviewed Lise Bernstein about “Lock It for Love program.

After a 4 year old St. Louis child shot himself with unsecured gun Fox 2 reporter Jeff Bernthal interviewed Lise Bernstein

June 21, 2017,  St. Louis Public Radio

“Kids are curious”: St. Louis group says free gun locks can save lives

Following a Lock It For Love event at St. Louis City hall at which 537 gun locks were distributed, media outlets reported.   One was from St. Louis Public Radio. Read here

Fox2 News report here

June 15, 2017, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

If you’ve got a gun, St. Louis wants you to have a lock, too

City Hall will host a gun lock giveaway as part of a social justice group’s initiative to promote gun safety.

Event sponsor Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice partnered with the city and SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital to host the event on National Asking Saves Kids (ASK) Day, which is June 21.

read full article here

February 21, 2017 The Lens – Episcopal News Service

Priest in America’s ‘murder capital’ brings public-health approach to gun violence prevention

Episcopal diocese aims to mobilize parishes as St. Louis’ homicide rate spikes

The Rev. Marc Smith, at an Easter service in 2016, was vicar at Church of the Ascension in St. Louis before being named the Diocese of Missouri’s deputy for gun violence prevention. Photo: Church of the Ascension.

[Episcopal News Service] St. Louis has been called America’s “murder capital” after a recent spike in gun violence that resulted in more killings per capita than any other major U.S. city.

Chicago recorded the most total homicides in 2016 at 762, but for a smaller city like St. Louis, its 188 killings last year are part of an alarming local trend that has prompted a renewed focus – including by the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri – on the causes and possible solutions of such violence.

“One death is too many,” the Rev. Marc Smith said, but developing a plan of response to 188 deaths defies easy answers. “Looking for the elegant, simple solution is wrong,” he said. “It is an incredibly complex problem.”

Smith is the Diocese of Missouri’s point person in the search for answers. Last year, he was named by Bishop Wayne Smith to the newly created position of deputy for gun violence prevention, and this year, the diocese and community are beginning to see some of the early fruits of his efforts.

One of his tasks is to help 36 community organizations coordinate more effectively on the issue of gun violence, but he’s also trying to mobilize Episcopalians at the parish level to work toward a tangible first goal: giving away gun locks to gun owners.

Accidental shootings and suicides often are overlooked in the debate over gun violence, Smith said, but this danger is “probably the easiest to solve.” He sent a letter to clergy in the diocese earlier in February outlining the diocese’s new partnership with Washington University’s School of Medicine and a group called Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice to support the group’s Lock It for Love initiative.

Barbara Finch demonstrates how to use the cable lock

 

 

Barbara Finch of Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice demonstrates a gun lock at a Lock It for Love booth in October. Photo: Women’s Voices Raised

Lock It for Love aims to reduce the frequency of suicides and accidental shootings by children by distributing gun locks for free. Since April 2015, Women’s Voices Raised has given out about 1,500 gun locks to families, mostly at health fairs and similar events, president Lise Bernstein said.

“Sometimes the issue of gun violence can just seem overwhelming and frustrating and depressing,” Bernstein said. The focus on gun locks was a way to rally the community around a hands-on solution to one slice of the larger problem.

“We are very much interested in engaging as many people in the community as possible in addressing this issue of kids and keeping kids safe,” Bernstein said, “so the interest of the diocese is very welcome.”

Bernstein and Smith also share the belief that gun violence should be tackled as a public health issue, an approach that draws on Smith’s experience as a health care administrator, including more than a decade as president of the Missouri Hospital Association.

Smith, who grew up in the St. Louis area, left the health care industry to become an Episcopal priest and was assigned in 2011 to his first congregation, the Church of the Ascension on St. Louis’ north side. About six months into the job, he remembers attending the wake and funeral of a woman who was killed in a drive-by shooting. It was a somber scene he would witness again and again in the city.

“The sense of desperation and hopelessness and powerlessness is crippling,” he said.

The opportunity to tackle the issue directly for the diocese grew out of ongoing conversations he was having with Bishop Smith about gun violence and public health solutions. The bishop asked last year if Smith would work toward those solutions in a new role with the diocese, and Smith agreed to take it on.

“Preventing gun violence is a critical issue in the communities of Eastern Missouri, especially St. Louis City and County,” Bishop Smith said in a written statement to the Episcopal News Service. “I am glad that parishes in our diocese can find a focus for mission in this work, and Marc Smith, with his passion and experience, is well-suited to provide leadership for it.”

National concerns, local solutions

Much of the national attention has been focused on Chicago’s dramatic surge in homicides, which even prompted President Donald Trump to suggest he would send in federal authorities if the trend isn’t reversed.

But while Chicago may have outpaced the United States’ other largest cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Houston, smaller cities like St. Louis, Detroit and New Orleans have suffered from much higher rates of homicide per capita. St. Louis recorded nearly 60 homicides per 100,000 people last year.

The national murder rate, despite remaining under the elevated level seen in the 1990s, also has risen over the past two years, and the possible causes, from gang activity to policing policies, are hotly debated.

At the local level, gun violence prevention often emphasizes the practical. In St. Louis, for example, Smith said there is a group of black clergy known as “homicide ministers” who reach out to victims’ families, attend funerals and provide assistance as it is needed. The Episcopal diocese is developing a plan to partner with the ministers.

Smith also is looking for additional, simple ways for Episcopalians to get involved.

“So many people have expressed a desire to help, and yet most people are not inclined or well equipped to be homicide ministers,” he said.

He has asked each congregation to identify one parishioner to serve as a liaison to the diocese as it coordinates efforts. Each congregation can support Lock It for Love in its own way, such as by holding fundraisers for the money to buy the gun locks or by sending volunteers to help promote the campaign at health fairs.

Smith hopes this initial project will inspire Episcopalians in the St. Louis area to get active on the issue of gun violence and eventually help expand the diocese’s outreach in ways that will address some of the underlying causes.

“Regardless of the debate over gun safety and constraints on guns, young people are still going to kill young people,” he said. “And toward that end, I want our limited resources to try to minimize that from happening, to help families pick up the pieces and not get caught in a cycle of retaliation.”

– David Paulsen is an editor and reporter for the Episcopal News Service. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

 

2016

Riverfront Times Reports on Our Gun Violence Virtual Vigil

December 12, 2016

Read article here

Fox 2 News Interview Regarding Gun Safety

December 12, 2016

see interview with Andrea Bauman of the Common-Sense Gun Solutions Committee here.

KMOV TV Reports on Lock It For Love Program

November 28, 2016

See video here

Guns and Children 

October 22, 2016

KPLR, Pulse of St. Louis panel discussion included Lise Bernstein, president of Women’s Voices and Ruth Ehresman, board member (speaking on behalf of Vision For Children at Risk)

188 Gun Locks Given at Back to School Event

July 25, 2016

After the NCJW Back-to-School Store at which Women’s Voices gave 188 gun locks, St. Louis Public Radio published an article on our program. It includes interviews with Lise Bernstein, president of Women’s Voices and Barbara Finch, co-chair of the Common-Sense Gun Solutions Committee. Read the article here.

Lock it for Love Featured on FOX 2 & Channel 11

KPLR Channel 11 June 25 Pulse of St. Louis segment on gun violence and children features Women’s Voices president Lise Bernstein; Barbara Finch, co-chair Campaign for Common-Sense Gun Solutions and Bo Kennedy, emergency room physician at Children’s Hospital. Watch here

Fox 2 News, St. Louis featured the Women’s Voices Lock It For Love program on their June 23 newscast.  The segment aired several times over a period of days. See it here.

June 15, 2016

Post-Dispatch columnist Tony Messenger credits Barbara Finch of Women’s Voices for encouraging him to write a column on gun violence.

April 16, 2016

KPLR Channel 11 featured 4 Women’s Voices members on a panel discussing the impact of poverty on children.

April 14, 2016

KSDK Channel 5 news coverage of the Women’s Voices program on “Gun Violence Through the Lens of the Law”.

April 1, 2016

Women’s Voices coordinated a gun give away held at St. Louis City Hall.  Coverage from the media included an announcement by KSDK Channel 5 and a report on KMOV TV Channel 4

2015

Remember, Reflect, Respond:  Candlelight Vigil

December 13, 2015

The St. Louis community gathered to remember victims of gun violence in our community and to commemorate the third anniversary of the Newtown school massacre.  See links below to media coverage.

http://fox2now.com/2015/12/13/st-louisans-come-together-to-honor-fallen-murder-victims-and-pray-for-peace/

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/candlelight-vigil-draws-attention-to-gun-violence-in-st-louis/article_e4a84e6a-f72d-5a2e-b6bf-3b8252ab0e90.html

http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/2015/12/14/group-holds-candlelight-vigil-against-gun-violence/77270606/

http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/vigil-gun-violence-victims-parents-speak-grief-loss

http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/article_5314f14c-a465-11e5-a780-6702a79a10ea.html

November, 11,2015

Women’s Voices Speakers on “St. Louis on the Air”

Speakers Richard Baron, co­-founder and CEO, McCormack Baron Salazar and Sandra Moore,  president of Urban Strategies, talk with radio host Don Marsh about their “Vision for Urban Development: Places & People” prior to the Women’s Voices program held November 12.   Listen here

TV Coverage of Lock It For Love Program

August 30, 2015

Following a vigil for Carter Epps, a 2 year old who shot himself in Hanley Hills, Barbara Finch, Co-chair of the Women’s Voices Common-Sense Gun Solutions Committee was interviewed on Channel 2 news. See interview here.

August 26, 2015

Following the news of the death of a  21 month old child who shot himself,  KMOV TV interviewed Women’s Voices president Lise Bernstein and gave information about the Lock it For Love program.  See the interview here.

August 22, 2015

KMOV TV interviewed Women’s Voices president Lise Bernstein about the Lock It For Love gun safety and gun lock distribution program. See the interview here.

August 13, 2015 – St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Legislative committee is misguided in investigating Planned Parenthood

Having proudly worked in abortion care for many years (not at a Planned Parenthood), I have followed the recent attacks on Planned Parenthood Federation of America closely. Here is what I know. A fake organization infiltrated meetings of abortion care providers for three years, pretending to be colleagues who needed fetal tissue for life-saving research. They secretly recorded meetings, edited those recordings heavily, and used them in a stunning attempt to stop abortion care.

Yet, their efforts are failing. Nearly two-thirds of American voters said they opposed a proposal to strip federal funds from Planned Parenthood (poll conducted by Hart Research Associates in July after release of the videos) and the Department of Justice is investigating the organization that produced the videos.

Meanwhile, here in Missouri — where no Planned Parenthood affiliates sell or donate fetal tissue — the Senate Interim Committee on the Sanctity of Life is investigating Planned Parenthood. The name “Sanctity of Life” is ironic. If the Legislature were truly pro-life, this committee would be investigating why we have not expanded Medicaid to cover 300,000 low-income Missourians. Why children in Missouri go hungry. Why schools are not required to provide medically accurate sexual health education. And why it is so difficult in high-poverty areas to obtain Pap tests, breast exams and birth control.

The committee’s investigation is a waste of time and taxpayer dollars. Imagine the possibilities if instead the committee worked to meet the real needs of Missourians.

Allison M. Hile  •  Webster Groves

Board secretary, Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice

May:  Women’s Voices president Lise Bernstein named a St. Louis Woman of Achievement for social justice.  Video featuring honorees here. Her portion begins at about 3 minutes 44 seconds.

May 9:  Channel 2 news reports on Women’s Voices Lock it For Love event

April 27:  KMOX radio talks about Lock It For Love initiative

April 25: letter to the editor from Women’s Voices president Lise Bernstein

April 19:  St. Louis Public Radio article on Eight Months Post-Ferguson program

March 11:  St. Louis Public Radio News – Leaders seek to better understand, address emotional toll of violence on children

February 12:   St. Louis Public Radio News – White Privilege Seminar Explores Race

January 8, 2015:  St. Louis Public Radio News – Investor Advocate: Buy Stock, Gain A Voice

2014

•September 8, 2014:  The Missouri Times
•April 30, 2014:  St. Louis American
•April 11, 2014:  Webster-Kirkwood Times
•April 5, 2014:  St. Louis Post-Dispatch

2011

•June 21, 2011:  St. Louis Activist Hub
•December 20, 2011:  The Occasional Planet

2006

•April 21, 2006:  Webster-Kirkwood Times