A date June 7 is national. Gun violence awareness day. The Virginia Beach shooting where twelve people were killed was just last week and if you look at this map here you can see. Some of the other deadly mass shootings at a happened in Clinton and living stand in Saint Louis. Far too many people continue to die in far too many families are destroyed in changed forever. After losing their loved one so I'm really happy to be joined by sandy and Lonnie Phillips. You guys started the organization in. Survivors and powered. After you lost your daughter Jessica in the year war at Colorado theater shooting in 2012. You guys go around to mass shootings connecting with survivors. I want to start with this idea of Greece and I heard you guys explain this very well. That there are no five stages of grief it's something you you never get over so. Explain that to us right well. Everybody knows about the five stages of grief that you go through angry go through all these different emotions what they don't tell you in those bikes ages says that you go you bounce around them. And they never hand. We save that big grief has no expiration date that it's it if we defines who you Lar. Especially when it's a violent death. So. The survivors that we work with across the country we. Help to prepare them for what lies ahead. And let them know what we have experience so they know that they will live through it even though right now they don't want to. Yes absolutely and you guys were just in Virginia Beach with the survivors you've gone to a number of these mass shootings. What's it like every time you go to a different when they're they're becoming more and more regular. Is it different is at the same. What exactly it is different and it is this thing so it kind of an economy so if we continue in north caller then you. We call it thing we call them public mass shootings because they're different than any other man. Or someone. Usually a young male goes into. A public place and killed as many people as quickly as he can in the unique choose. Weapon that is. Gonna do their job efficiently and that usually and they are fifteen is a matter of fact every marriage public mass shooting that we've attended. Level and number eleven. Was Virginia Beach they have used. And they are fifteen except that one but he did have extended magazines on his weapons so that increases the lethality. The weaponry that they use in the public mass shootings. What do you even think about that you say you've you've gone to eleven men what what does that out of that registered near minus someone who has lost. A daughter and if it's shocking when you think we've been doing this for are really less than seven years. And these are the big ones to get attention and and publicity. There are mass shootings in America every single day in fact the Virginia Beach shooting was a 150. Yes. Mass shooting of the year on the hundred in 51. Day of the year so this tells us that this is an epidemic in our country it's a public health and safety issue it is no longer. About gun rights are. Potent political. Leanings it is about. Public health and safety. And we're killing innocent citizens every single day in America. And turning our heads away insane how well it hasn't happened to me yet so I'm safe. And the fact of the matter is it can happen any time any place to anyone. And sometimes two or more times our daughter was in a mass shooting seven weeks before she was killed Clough. A young man. Who has killed in the borderline shooting in Thousand Oaks had been a he row. At the Las Vegas shooting so here he is a year in a month later and he's he's and another mass shooting that took his life. So. We know other survivors who have lost four children. In different episodes of mass shootings so now yeah one out exactly and most people just aren't. Aware. So it's a quintessential American annulment from may seem content and any other country. Any other industrialized country in the world can have to call it. What do you guys see that people the families of these victims really need because in the news when we're covering the stories we're just talking about the numbers the death tolls the people have died. But the failings are the ones who are living with the trauma. Every single day what's the main thing that you think. These families need when asked how I'm so glad to have you used the word trauma because that's witnesses. It's com enticing and if they don't get trauma therapy to deal with what they've just gone through. And have the skill sets in order to move forward in their lives it really hinders the bear. Their future. We did a workshop a few weeks ago and we had survivors from Parkland there others mass shootings from a high school. And people that had been affected 34 years ago so we had this whole different group there and what we found out at the end of that the workshop. Is that only three of us at a thirty. Had had trauma therapy. The rest of them were just struck a lien on their own and when that happens and you don't have the skill sets the tapping the EM DR that. The PT CST that these people will be experiencing in their future when you don't have the skill sets to deal with those. It can be incapacitating. So that's one of the first things we try to establish with them is that you have been through trauma. And grief counseling as great. That right now you need to have trauma therapy so you can move forward and understand that this has changed the rest of your life. Trauma changes are brain. So we know we need to be aware of that and be able to move forward. Dewey have to remember that. Listen to what you have to say. Every public man shooting for every one that killed here you generally three that are wounded so we have a huge. Number. Surviving. Man shooting are forgotten and total debt do we really are concerned about how how we can help him. Well we're certainly glad that you guys are doing the work we appreciate you being here. And we want everyone to look out for you on that Tony is they Tony Awards on Sunday because you will be speaking there yes not speaking that we will be in the audience and is on stage for the Oklahoma production. I all the people that are in the background are all survivors of shootings. And I kind of there's kind of a Shia from them yes survivors. You know very good when we're going to be looking for you thanks for joining us sandy and Ronnie Phillips thank you for being here thank you can and.