Akin Works with Sandy Hook Promise in Passage of Gun Safety Bill

(Washington, D.C.) – Akin Gump is proud to share its work with the organization Sandy Hook Promise in support of the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden on June 25.

Sandy Hook Promise is a national nonprofit organization founded and led by several family members whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. Based in Newtown, Connecticut, its intent is to honor all victims of gun violence by turning the tragedy into a moment of transformation. By empowering youth to “know the signs” and uniting all people who value the protection of children, the group works to take meaningful actions in schools, homes and communities to prevent gun violence.

A bipartisan Akin Gump public law and policy team led by senior policy advisor Caryn Dyson and partner Ed Pagano and comprising partner Zach Rudisill, senior advisors Geoff Verhoff and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen; senior policy advisors Heide Bajnrauh, Kendall Hussey, Julie Nolan, Sam Olswanger, and Galen Roehl; senior counsel Casey Higgins; and policy advisors Christina Barone and Taylor Daly worked with Sandy Hook Promise to engage congressional offices with regard to negotiations on the Senate bipartisan gun safety package.

In this pro bono effort, the team worked to facilitate discussions between Sandy Hook Promise and key lawmakers on both sides of the aisle involved in the broader gun violence prevention debate, resulting in the release of a preliminary bipartisan gun safety framework in the Senate.

The framework facilitated this historic legislation, characterized by many as the most significant piece of federal gun safety legislation in decades, which passed the Senate by a bipartisan vote of 65-33 and the House by a vote of 234-193.

Mr. Pagano said of the effort, “This is a historic moment and a great return to bipartisan cooperation to pass legislation that is both important and necessary. I am extremely grateful to our clients for entrusting us with the work, and I am very proud of our team for delivering on Sandy Hook Promise’s trust in us.”

Ms. Dyson added, “My friend and mentor, the late Vic Fazio, took a real interest in Sandy Hook Promise and their need for representation and counsel in the wake of the tragedy that struck their lives. I am so proud and gratified that, as a team of Democrats and Republicans, we were able to help deliver this result for them and for everyone whose lives have been—or would have been—blighted by gun violence.”

Co-founder and CEO of Sandy Hook Promise, Mark Barden and father of Daniel who was killed in the Sandy Hook tragedy said, “The passage and enactment of this legislation is a first, important step forward to protecting America’s children, who, as we have recently and tragically seen, are the most vulnerable to gun violence. My team and I are so grateful for Ed, Caryn and their Akin Gump colleagues’ steadfast commitment, wise counsel and effective action.”

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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