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7 Gun Control Advocates To Follow On Twitter
Where to get accurate, no-nonsense information.
It’s May 2022, and the United States has already seen 27 school shootings this year. Most recently, 19 children and two teachers were killed in a May 24 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and 17 others were injured, per NPR. According to the Associated Press, 169 people have been killed in mass school shootings since the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. For decades, activists across the country have been demanding tangible change to end gun violence, and with more youth activists, their families, and other allies joining the fray, this fight has quickly grown into a mass movement.
The 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida galvanized a new generation to fight for gun control. Survivors of the shooting and their allies swiftly launched the March for our Lives movement, demanding “bold action to end the gun violence epidemic.” In March 2018, the first march took place in Washington, D.C., with hundreds of sister marches taking place in the U.S. and around the world. The former Parkland students have joined many other anti-gun violence organizations around the country, including Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action, The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, and Sandy Hook Promise, to educate Americans on gun violence and fight for gun control. With social media, they’ve managed to spread their research and advocacy much more widely.
Since the shooting in Uvalde, there’s been renewed demands for gun control, background checks, and other reforms. But in the wake of tragedy, it can be especially overwhelming to sift through all the news and content out there to figure out what you can actually do to make a difference. Below, you’ll find a list of advocates you can follow on social media who are sharing accurate, no-nonsense information about gun control and gun violence.
1@AalayahEastmond On Twitter
Aalayah Eastmond is a gun violence survivor. She was a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in 2018, and after a gunman killed 17 people and wounded 17 others at her school, she became an activist for gun control and racial justice. After graduating in 2019, she co-founded Team ENOUGH, a youth-led movement against gun violence under the umbrella of Brady United, a gun control advocacy organization.
On Twitter, Eastmond makes a concerted effort to amplify the stories of gun violence victims and survivors — rather than the perpetrators. She also regularly shares events, panels, and educational resources about gun violence, voting rights, and racial justice, and boosts vigils and fundraisers to support victims of gun violence and activists fighting for housing rights, voting rights, and other causes.
2@shannonrwatts On Twitter
Shannon Watts is a gun violence prevention activist and the founder of Moms Demand Action. The day after the Sandy Hook shooting, Watts started a Facebook group to challenge gun violence, inspired by the efforts of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. That Facebook group grew into Moms Demand Action, which now has chapters in every state.
If you follow Watts on Twitter, you can expect to see tangible calls to action, with steps you can personally take to fight gun violence. Watts also shares information about protests, research and statistics about gun violence, and other ways to get involved.
3@gregoryjackson On Twitter
Gregory Jackson Jr. is a gun violence survivor and the executive director of the Community Justice Action Fund (CJAF), which works to end gun violence in Black and brown communities through education, advocacy, and resource funding. After he was shot in April 2013, Jackson first worked with Obama for America before joining the CJAF to challenge gun violence.
On Twitter, he often discusses the disproportionate impact that gun violence has on Black and brown people, and highlights victims of violence and their families. He also advocates for more resources to address the grief and trauma of gun violence, along with community intervention initiatives and strategies.
4@JaclynCorin On Twitter
Jaclyn Corin is a gun violence survivor who, like Eastmond, was a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland at the time of the 2018 shooting. Corin is now an activist against gun violence and one of the co-founders of March for Our Lives.
On Twitter, Corin shares tangible demands, such as licensing laws and a ban on high-capacity magazines, as well as news and information about instances of gun violence across the country. Corin also uses her platform to call for serious gun regulations and reforms in the face of misinformation.
5@po_murray On Twitter
Po Murray is a co-founder and chairwoman of the Newtown Action Alliance, a volunteer grassroots organization launched by residents of Newtown, Connecticut after the Sandy Hook school shooting in December 2012. She is also a mom, and after many of her neighbors’ children were killed, Murray became a staunch advocate for gun violence prevention.
On Twitter, Murray challenges legislators who refuse to take action on gun control and encourages followers to call their lawmakers to pass gun reforms. She also shares updates on gun control legislation if you want to follow along, and regularly speaks out against the National Rifle Association (NRA).
6@ChangeTheRef On Twitter (& TikTok)
Change the Ref (CTR) is a nonprofit organization launched by Manuel and Patricia Oliver, whose son — Joaquin Oliver — was killed in the 2018 Parkland shooting. CTR aims to give young people the tools they need to empower them in the fight for change, through education, urban art, conversation, and activism.
Follow CTR on Twitter to hear the Olivers’ messages to other parents who have lost their children to gun violence, and on TikTok, where they speak out against constant instances of violence as parents who lost their son. Change the Ref shares news and resources in both English and Spanish, and they most recently started a petition demanding universal background checks for gun sales after the shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
7@r_emmonsJr On Twitter
Robert Emmons Jr. is a community organizer and former congressional candidate from Chicago. In his junior year of college, Emmons lost his best friend to gun violence — and “to poverty, to a lack of equal opportunity and the lack of support systems when he needed them most,” he told WTTW, Chicago's PBS station. Today, Emmons is a director at National Louis University and the executive director of a political action committee called Our Everyday, which works to elect candidates with a commitment to end gun violence.
On Twitter, Emmons uplifts candidates across the country who are challenging gun violence and aims to hold other lawmakers accountable for their inaction — all the way up to President Joe Biden. He also addresses gun violence in the context of other injustices — such as racism, domestic violence, and inequitable resource distribution — while challenging existing perceptions of public safety.
