Who is Jennifer Guttenberg? Parkland shooting victim's mom has Father's Day plea
Jaime Guttenberg was one of the 17 students and staff members shot to death after a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14, 2018. In early June, her father, Fred Guttenberg, started the 'Dads For Gun Safety' campaign ahead of Father's Day 2021.
One of the most prominent gun safety activists in America, Guttenberg has now penned an open letter addressing fathers across the country, asking them to support and fund his gun control advocacy. His wife and Jamie's mother, Jennifer Guttenberg, has also tweeted her support for the campaign that is asking men to resist "toxic gun obsession."
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"As dads, we can unite to resist the gun lobby’s dangerous lies — lies that tell us masculinity is tied to a toxic gun obsession, that perpetuates the myth of 'good guys with guns,' that market assault weapons to us as toys instead of lethal weapons of war," Guttenberg wrote in his letter. "We have a role here. Men are more likely to be the perpetrators of gun violence. Men are more likely to be the ones to die by gun suicide. Men are more likely to be gun owners."
For his campaign 'Dads for Gun Safety,' Guttenberg received immense support from a community of fathers whose children were victims of gun violence in different shooting incidents across the country. His announcement came at the heels of Federal Judge Roger Benitez overturning a 32-year-old ban on assault weapons in California.
Calling out Benitez's comparison of an AR-15 with a Swiss Army knife, Guttenberg told CNN, “My daughter’s in a cemetery … because a Swiss Army knife was not used. Because it was an AR-15. If a Swiss Army knife was used, my daughter and most of those other kids and adults would be alive today."
Who is Jennifer Guttenberg?
Mother-of-two Jennifer became a gun control advocate after losing her daughter Jaime in the Parkland school shooting. She has joined hands with her husband to promote his gun safety campaigns and fundraisers, including Orange Ribbons for Jaime, and appears to be very active on social media.
Jennifer also wrote an op-ed for Newsweek about how losing her daughter had changed her and how she saw "a glimmer of light" now that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are leading the country.
"Approximately 40,000 people per year lose their life to gun violence, but friends, family, and entire communities become affected," the embattled mother wrote. "This amounts to millions of people per year who are affected by gun violence. Things must change. This deadly issue needs attention, not in the future, but right now."
"At least I can breathe a breath of air knowing Joe Biden is our president and Kamala Harris is our Vice President. I see a glimmer of light now," she added. "I know there is a way to get this done. For now, I watch her friends move forward as they graduate this year and head off to college, while my beautiful girl remains forever 14. I will continue to honor Jaime so that the world can remember what they have lost because they have lost so many good ones—including mine."