This week’s Friday Power Lunch is personal for me. Years ago, my neighbor Mary Read was killed at Virginia Tech. Another neighbor, Marty Bodrog, was killed in the Navy Yard shooting. Like so many Virginians, I do not experience conversations about gun violence as abstract political debates. These tragedies live in our communities, our neighborhoods, our memories, and our hearts. And now here we are again. Another summer. Another Gun Violence Prevention Month. RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/FPL2026a
Violence does not simply appear out of nowhere. Societies normalize it. Political leaders encourage it. Media ecosystems reward it. Fear feeds it. Dehumanization fuels it.
Special Guests:
• Historian Paul Quigley, author of The Man Behind the Cane: Preston Brooks, Political Violence, and the Road to the Civil War. Paul’s work examines one of the most shocking moments in American political history: the 1856 caning of Senator Charles Sumner on the floor of the United States Senate by Congressman Preston Brooks.
• Delegate Dan Helmer, Army veteran, longtime grassroots ally, and one of the leading voices behind Virginia’s newly signed assault weapons ban legislation. For years, advocates, survivors, students, parents, teachers, organizers, Moms Demand Action volunteers, and community leaders fought for commonsense gun safety legislation in Virginia. This year, for the first time, Democrats finally had the governing trifecta needed to move major legislation forward. Dan helped lead that effort. We will talk with him about what the new law actually does, what implementation looks like, the growing resistance from Republican officials already threatening noncompliance, and what responsible leadership looks like during dangerous times.
• BIG TEN Women’s Summit: Candidate & Campaign Celebration on Friday night. A spotlight on the movement storytelling, grassroots networking, organizing energy, music, joy, and the electric feeling of being in a room full of people who still believe democracy is worth fighting for. The Women’s Summit is August 21-23 at the Hilton McLean, VA. Early bird tickets available until June 15 at https://networknova.org/ws2026/
Thank you for showing up with us week after week to have difficult conversations honestly, thoughtfully, and together. We will see you Friday! Get your Zoom link here: https://tinyurl.com/FPL2026a