About
At Texas Gun Sense, we are unwavering in our commitment to end gun violence. We advance safer gun laws at the Legislature. We leave no stone unturned as we work to make our communities safer. We advocate for a better and safer Texas, while protecting the rights of responsible gun owners.
Thank you for being a part of our community.
Our Mission
Our mission is to prevent gun violence and other gun tragedies in Texas through education, partnerships, and policy change. We achieve this mission through a multi-faceted approach centering around education, collaboration and advocacy.
We educate the public, lawmakers, and the media about solutions to prevent gun deaths and injuries.
We collaborate with partners to advance gun safety initiatives at the state, local, and community level.
We advocate for common sense, evidence-based policies that reduce gun violence while respecting the rights of responsible gun owners.
OUR VISION
We envision a future in which all communities are safe from gun violence.
Over the years, the Texas Gun Sense mission has expanded to include both legislative advocacy and community-based gun safety initiatives. This includes a broad range of activities that produce meaningful impact in our communities and achieve progress within and outside of the political landscape.
OUR VALUES
Every gun death is one too many, leaving behind shattered families and generations of trauma that spreads throughout communities. The following values guide our actions and efforts to honor victims and survivors and prevent future tragedies:
Evidence
We put evidence above ideology, seeking nonpartisan solutions that are backed by data, critical thinking, and public consensus.
Community
We bring together leaders and citizens from all backgrounds to create an engaged ecosystem led by a shared vision of a safer future for Texas communities.
Respect
We believe we must listen to one another and show respect for different viewpoints while continuing to find common ground toward sensible, proven solutions.
Justice
We recognize that gun violence disproportionately impacts historically marginalized communities and that it is critical that we include the voices of those who are most impacted in the work we do.
Collaboration
We work with partners with a vested interest in preventing gun deaths, including Veterans, medical professionals, domestic violence advocates, mental health experts, law enforcement, educators, and racial justice advocates.
Creativity
We know that to successfully advance meaningful change, we need to be creative and nimble in our approach. We are always exploring innovative strategies to prevent gun violence across our communities.
Our Story
Texas Gun Sense began in 2007 as Students for Gun-Free Schools in Texas, a non-profit organization founded by survivors of the Virginia Tech shooting, as well as family and friends of victims. Our members included students, parents, faculty, staff, administrators, and others who care about safe campuses.
In 2013, with added support and expanded membership, we became Texas Gun Sense, a nonprofit focused more broadly on public safety. In 2015, we launched the Texas Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, an intersectional group focused on impact across the state. Now, our organization also co-leads the Texas Invest In Us Coalition, an initiative to secure investments for community violence intervention with Community Justice Action Fund.
OUR TEAM
Nicole Golden
Executive Director
Preventing gun violence in all its forms is Nicole’s lifelong passion. After serving in an interim capacity, she officially took the reins as the new Executive Director of Texas Gun Sense in April of 2022, right before the tragic mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Nicole deftly managed an emotionally charged crisis-response protocol, pivoting the organization to focus on how TGS could be of immediate service to a community in need.
Nicole’s education as a social worker and 10 years of advocacy experience prepared her for this challenge. She is deeply devoted to moving the needle in Texas through coalition-building, legislative and grassroots advocacy, education, and community-based gun safety initiatives.
Jesse Woche
Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator
Driven by a dedication to public service, Jesse is eager to work on domestic policy issues that promote equity, sustainability, and public safety. For the past five years, she has gained experience working in policy research, coalition-building, and political organizing. This includes engagements with EveryTown for Gun Safety, The Conservation Fund, and the Beto For Texas Campaign. She is skilled in research, analysis, & communications.
Laura Minnigerode
Development Manager
Laura is an experienced researcher, writer, curriculum designer, and educator. She has successfully managed the full lifecycle of grants, including funding received from foundations, corporations and local, state, and federal governments. She draws on a wealth of experience to help build and manage a robust pipeline of grant funding opportunities to round out a diverse and healthy stream of revenue for Texas Gun Sense.
Garrett Chase
Program Manager
Garrett (he/him) leverages his extensive background in advocacy, communications, and nonprofit leadership to advance the mission of preventing gun violence across Texas. Before joining TGS, Garrett honed his experience in LGBTQIA2+ advocacy, strategic communications, and development work for issues ranging from reproductive rights to climate action to gun violence prevention. With an emphasis on social justice, strategic partnerships, and community engagement, Garrett brings a passion for policy advocacy to the TGS team.
Mia McCandless-Edwards
Communications Intern – Fall 2024
Mia McCandless-Edwards is a Sociology Honors student at The University of Texas at Austin with a 3.9 GPA, minoring in Social Behavioral Sciences and German. She works as an Emergency Medical Technician at Heed Health and is in the process of co-founding B.A.W.S.E, a nonprofit aimed at supporting young Black women. Additionally, Mia serves as a Psychology Research Assistant at Caminos Lab and has been honored with the Difference Maker Award from the Fearless Leadership Institute. Her extensive experience and commitment to social justice underscore her dedication to meaningful community impact.
Milan Narayan
Policy Intern – Fall 2024
Born and raised in Houston, Milan is a junior at the University of Texas at Austin. He is double majoring in the Plan II Honors program and Philosophy with a minor in Italian and a certificate in applied statistical modeling.
Milan recently worked on Capitol Hill with U.S. Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher as a Congressional Intern. He completed a year-long internship with the U.S. Department of State on constructing use cases and best practice guides for AI for the Foreign Service Institute. In his free time, Milan enjoys playing and watching sports, scouring NBA advanced statistics databases, cooking, and spending time with his dogs in his free time.
Board of Directors
David Dunn BOARD CHAIR
Jaime Thompson SECRETARY
Chris Walton TREASURER
Jon Brandt
Bonnie Cook, MAS
Kelsey Erickson Streufert
Louis Wichers
Advisory Board
Dr. Juno Woods CO-FOUNDER
Frances Schenkkan CO-FOUNDER
Dr. Lauren Gambill
Dr. Mary-Lynn Rice-Lively
Nina Zilkha
OUR WORK AT THE CAPITOL
We take advantage of every opportunity, small or large, to move the needle towards more protection from gun violence in Texas. We respect responsible gun owners while advocating for solutions that protect our communities, our families, and those most at risk of gun deaths and gun injuries. We make headway at the legislature through three primary activities:
Supporting the creation and passage of new laws
Advocating for specific state-wide investments
Preventing dangerous or damaging laws from being passed
OUR CURRENT POLICY PRIORITIES
- Raising the age for the legal purchase of semi-automatic rifles.
- Adopting extreme risk protection orders.
- Requiring background checks at every gun sale.
- Providing a clear pathway for domestic abusers to relinquish firearms .
- Investing in community violence intervention and safe gun storage education.
- Preventing firearm suicide.
- Opposing the expansion of guns in schools
OUR WORK IN THE COMMUNITY
We know that action at the legislature is not enough to change the texture of violence in Texas. This is why we actively work to develop community-based gun safety initiatives and education. Some of our community priorities include:
Firearm suicide prevention
Safe gun storage education
Voluntary gun storage access
expansion
Gun safety engagement for gun dealers
Co-leading the Texas Invest In Us Coalition
The Texas Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence is an alliance of organizations and experts working in gun violence prevention (GVP) and as intersectional advocates for mental health, domestic abuse, and other issues which touch our community. Our mission is to amplify the efforts of community advocates by serving as a collective, powerful voice for policy and systems change to prevent & reduce gun violence in Texas. We do this through education, training and mobilization.
Issues
in gun violence prevention
