Local Survivor Speaks Out About Intimate Partner and Family Gun Violence
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — Lumina Alliance recently announced a Gun Safety Campaign with the goal of raising awareness on the intersection between firearms and intimate partner violence. As part of the campaign, Lumina Alliance is now inviting the community to take a Pledge for Gun Safety, and to commit to taking action to end gun violence In SLO County.
According to Clementine Ellis, Special Campaign Administrator, gun violence is typically difficult to talk or think about. “It can seem like there is nothing we can do to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities from gun violence, but that isn’t true. Gun violence impacts all of us, and it is our collective responsibility to address it,” says Ellis.
Tanya Winje was a victim of domestic and gun violence at 14 years old when her father used a gun to shoot her mother. Her mother survived and her father was sent to jail. Winje has turned this horrific experience into her advocacy work as a volunteer with Lumina Alliance.
“We must recognize that ending family violence goes beyond addressing individual incidents; it involves dismantling the very foundations that enable such behavior. By doing so, we can begin to heal ourselves and create a ripple effect that extends beyond our immediate family…Together, let us pledge to stop generational abuse, to end family violence, and to create a future where love, respect, and compassion prevail,” says Winje. “The Pledge for Gun Safety is an important first step.”
The Lumina Alliance Gun Safety Campaign encourages everyone in our community to take collective action to prevent gun violence. You can take the first step by making a Pledge for Gun Safety at our new website, LuminaAlliance.org/GunSafety. There you can also find the facts on how intimate partner gun violence impacts our community. And finally, if you or someone you know are experiencing violence, and want to learn how to keep themselves and their family safe, visit our Safety Planning Around Firearms page. You can also reach out to Lumina Alliance at our 24 hour crisis line at (805) 545-8888, or visit us during regular business hours. Together, we can light the path to a future without gun violence.
ABOUT LUMINA ALLIANCE — Lumina Alliance is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization created by the merging of RISE and Stand Strong in July 2021. Their mission is to empower those impacted by sexual and intimate partner violence through innovative advocacy, healing, and prevention programs. Services include 24/7 crisis and information line, case management, restraining order assistance, legal assistance, accompaniment and advocacy, emergency shelters, transitional housing, individual and group therapy, and robust prevention education. For more information, please visit www.LuminaAlliance.org