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The Call to Global Action May 2026
Dear GAGV,
The fight to end gun violence has never been more urgent — and Global Action on Gun Violence is meeting this moment on every front. One way we do that is through telling stories about lives impacted by gun violence. On May 16, GAGV is hosting a powerful play in Los Angeles called GUAC about a father’s love and loss turned to activism. Please join us and forward this newsletter to your friends in the LA-area.
In this issue, we also take a look at the Trump administration’s significant antiterrorism prosecution of an Arizona dealer who armed Mexico’s cartels. And please take a moment to watch my short video explainer of the misguided Supreme Court Second Amendment rulings that affect all Americans.
Thank you for standing with us. Read on for all the details!
Sincerely, Jon Lowy
Founder & President
P.S. Donate Nowto help Global Action on Gun Violence keep fighting on every front!
GAGV Presents: GUAC — A Powerful Night of Theater and Advocacy in Los Angeles
On May 16, GAGV is hosting a special performance of GUAC, the critically acclaimed one-man show written and performed by Manuel "Manny" Oliver — father of Joaquin "Guac" Oliver, one of the 17 lives taken in the 2018 Parkland school shooting at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles.
GUAC is a fearless, funny, and deeply moving theatrical tour-de-force: part celebration of a vibrant life cut short, part rallying cry for a father who turned unimaginable grief into passionate activism. Manny Oliver, an artist and immigrant who came to the United States in search of the American dream, brings his son back to life on stage through graffiti art, music, and raw, honest storytelling — only to confront a uniquely American nightmare. The show sold out entirely during its fall 2025 run in LA.
Following the performance, join us for a special Q&A with Manny and Patricia Oliver, hosted by GAGV President Jon Lowy. This is a rare opportunity to ask questions of two parents who have transformed loss into action — and to learn about GAGV's "Lawsuit for Survival," brought on behalf of Joaquin to establish the legal responsibility of the United States to protect every person's right to live free from gunfire.
This is a night you will not forget. Get your tickets now for Saturday, May 16.
If you don’t live in the LA-area, please forward this invitation to friends and family who do! Thank you!
A Promising Step Against the Iron Pipeline: U.S. Charges Arizona Gun Dealer with Terrorism
A primary focus of GAGV is to stop the gun trafficking pipeline that fuels crime in Mexico, the U.S., and throughout the world.
While law enforcement generally targets individual straw buyers and traffickers, gun trafficking can only be truly stopped at its industry source, such as through direct legal actions against irresponsible gun dealers and manufacturers who supply and profit from the criminal market. A recent indictment suggests that some prosecutors in the Trump Administration may agree – at least in some cases. They recently used antiterrorism statutes to charge an Arizona gun dealer for arming Mexican cartels — opening a powerful new legal front in the fight to cut off the crime gun pipeline.
On March 17, 2026, a grand jury issued a superseding indictment adding terrorism counts against Laurence Gray, owner of Grips by Larry in Phoenix, along with two employees, following an investigation into arms trafficking to Mexico. The criminal complaint details purchases in which an undercover agent openly discussed border crossings and taking firearms into Mexico — classic trafficking red flags. The new charges against Gray allege conspiracy and attempt to provide material support to the CJNG and Sinaloa Cartels.
This prosecution is a long-overdue step forward toward addressing the role of American gun dealers in supplying transnational criminal networks. But it is only a beginning. As Jon and GAGV Senior Counsel Jake Steisel wrote in their recent analysis of the new enforcement approach, a single case cannot address the systemic conditions that enable trafficking. For the Federal Terrorist Organization designation to have real impact, it must be backed by sustained enforcement, and broader pressure on manufacturers and distributors to cut off bad-acting dealers entirely.
Our Latest Video Explainer Showcases How Wrong the U.S. Supreme Court got the Second Amendment
The Supreme Court's misguided Second Amendment rulings continue to distort the law — and GAGV has just published a new explainer breaking down exactly how the Court's decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022) upended two centuries of settled law — and why reversing those decisions is essential to restoring the Second Amendment's true meaning. Watch our latest video explainer on the GAGV website or YouTube and share it widely.
Are you looking for a deep-dive on the gun policy issues facing the United States and the world? Do you want the unvarnished perspective of one of the country's leading legal experts on gun violence prevention?
Check outJon's Substack, where he and GAGV researcher Scott Brasesco recently analyzed the Inter-American Court of Human Rights' groundbreaking advisory opinion on states' obligations to prevent gun trafficking. In it, they explain what the Court decided, why it matters, and why the United States — by any honest reading of that opinion — falls dramatically short of its international human rights obligations. GAGV was the only gun violence prevention organization to file a brief and testify in support of Mexico's request for this opinion, and the article explains why the Court's findings are a powerful new tool in our ongoing fight to stop the gun trafficking pipeline that fuels global gun violence.
GAGV, we need support for this epic fight! Please go to the arrow above the newsletter to share this with family and friends who care about ending gun violence! Thank you!
