Dannette Fadness first discovered Moms Demand Action 8 years ago when someone she trusted in her Montana community said she was going to an event. While that friend never did go on to join Moms Demand Action, that first meeting was the start of a meaningful journey for Dannette.
Today she is a Be SMART Montana Lead, sharing the importance of secure gun storage with families all across her home state, and a co-lead for her Missoula, Montana local group where she helps organize meetings and plan events. She does this work for her kids and grandkids, and “because I know we can do better,” she says.
“My daughter is one of the millions of women that have been intimidated by a gun,” Dannette shared. “My grandsons have been in four lockdowns in school and my daughter in one while in college. We should not have to live this way.”
While Montana’s gun laws are some of the weakest in the country, volunteers like Dannette are determined to make an impact where they can. Wins for the gun violence prevention movement come in many different packages—and for Dannette, simply hearing from families that they are asking if there are unsecured firearms in a home before sending their children to the houses of others is meaningful in her work to end gun violence.
“I know that by talking to families about responsible storage and training on suicide prevention, I personally am saving lives. The entire movement is doing great things even though it seems like we are fighting an uphill battle.”
Congress passing the first meaningful gun safety law in nearly 26 years with the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is a huge national win for the movement—but Dannette’s work won’t stop here. There’s still more to do on the local and national level, and she will continue spreading the message of secure gun storage in her community and beyond.
“This victory was hard won, and I am ready to continue fighting,” she expressed.
