Our Goal
Our goal is to prevent gun violence through research, education and advocacy by energizing the public and government to effectively implement the gun safety laws that can save lives.
To accomplish this, Safer Country is working to:
- Ensure prohibited names, particularly people who have committed acts of violence, are entered into the background check system for gun purchases.
- Improve the system by which people legally purchase firearms, such as requiring fingerprints at the point of sale, to ensure that buyers have no disqualifying criminal records
- Promote the creation and effective implementation of gun violence prevention protection order laws ( a.k.a. red flag laws, gun removal warrants, extreme risk law protection orders or ERPO’s, substantial risk protection orders or SRPO’s, and extreme risk laws, among other names.)
- Seek annual reports from the states on their progress on the full spectrum of gun violence prevention issues.
Our Leadership
Executive Director
Paul Friedman is the founder and Executive Director of Safer Country, a gun violence prevention non-profit focused on keeping guns out of unsafe hands. He is inspired by the memory of his great aunt, Elizabeth Shulkin, who was shot and killed in Florida on December 1, 1981.
Of note, one of Elizabeth’s brothers, and Paul’s great uncle, the Hon. Sam Friedman, was the subject of the 2017 movie, Marshall, about the criminal defense of Joseph Spell in 1940-41, which had Thurgood Marshall’s input.
Prior to Safer Country, Paul served as Executive Director of the Virginia Tech Victims (VTV) Family Outreach Foundation, during which time he worked with the City of Alexandria and Virginia Tech’s local graduate schools to create a tree grove in Chinquapin Park to honor the victims and survivors of the April 16, 2007 massacre.
Paul graduated with a B.A. in Politics from Brandeis University and a J.D. from New York Law School. In 1987, Paul moved to Washington, DC, worked on Capitol Hill. In 1988, he was a Field Organizer in Iowa for Paul Simon for President (where he had the privilege of informing Sen. Simon that he had received the Des Moines Register endorsement for the Democratic nomination) and an Advance Man for the Dukakis/Bentsen campaign.
In 1990, he was elected Chair of the Ward 6 Democrats and became the PAC Director for Environmental Action, where he wrote that year’s Dirty Dozen. On August 25, 1991, Paul married his lovely wife, Lori, moved to Alexandria. In 1992, Paul successfully managed a state representative campaign in Orlando, Florida and, later, a City Council race in Alexandria.
Paul went on to work as a liaison to the Legal and Financial Community in the DMV for the Development Corporation for Israel and the Director of Development for Save A Child’s Heart, Neediest Kids and Every Child Matters. In 2015, prior to joining VTV, Paul served as Mark Levine’s political consultant in his victorious effort to run for Delegate in Virginia’s 45th District.
Recently, he was elected to serve as the Alternate Delegate from Virginia’s 8th Congressional District for Joe Biden for President to the Democratic National Convention, which was originally to be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Board of Directors
Boyd Walker
President
Boyd is a real estate investor who manages his own properties. A political and community activist, Boyd was a Delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention and is a former member of the Alexandria Democratic Committee Executive Board.
Laura Mandala
Vice President
As head of Mandala Research, one the world’s leading travel and tourism research firms, Laura evaluates emerging developments in the industry and her firm has pioneered policy changes in the industry, including minority inclusion.
Named one of the 14 Most Influential Women in Group Travel, Laura’s firm has pioneered the “firsts” of many niche studies in the industry.
As well, she has served as an appointee to the State Council on Women by Governor’s Warner and Kaine and as a Board member to the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel and Tourism Advisory Board under Secretary Penny Pritzker.
Additionally, Laura is founder of Women in Travel and Tourism International, an organization committed to the promotion, support, and advocacy for women’s leadership in the travel industry. Laura is also a former candidate for State Delegate in Virginia’s 45th District and has served two Virginia Governor’s on the State Council on Women.
Vincent Smith
Treasurer
A graduate of Bryan College and Washington & Lee University School of Law, Vincent is a reentry attorney in Northern Virginia. He works with individuals who have criminal convictions and/or charges, helping them overcome the collateral consequences that they face due to their record such as employment challenges, court fines, driver’s license suspensions, etc…
Vincent has a deep appreciation for how the justice system works and the need to ensure that the rights of all individuals are protected. In that light, he wants to ensure that the reporting of convictions of violent crime and domestic violence prohibits individuals from owning, purchasing and possessing firearms while not increasing unnecessary barriers to non-violent individuals seeking to return to and play a positive role in the community.
Lori Friedman
Secretary
Lori is a Certified Public Accountant with extensive experience in public and private accounting. Since 2009, she has operated her own firm in Alexandria, Virginia.
When Lori isn’t grappling with accounting principles or the Internal Revenue Code, she enjoys life with her husband, Paul, the Executive Director of Safer Country, and the couple’s dog, Sadie.
Paul Friedman
Advisory Committee
Pete Brodnitz
President,
Expedition Strategies
The Hon. Leslie Byrne
Former Congresswoman (VA)
John Capozzi
Former U.S. Statehood Representative (WDC)
Captain Sean Casey
Alexandria Sheriff’s Office
Charlotte Cohn
Theatre Actor/Director/Producer
Ken Cummins
President,
Capitol Inquiry
Michael Epstein
Documentary Filmmaker
Mark D. Friedman
Global Real Estate Advisor and Actor
Mike Gelb
Former White House Correspondent,
Reuters News Agency
Michael “Misha” Gill
Attorney
Tim Gleeson
Alexandria Undersheriff
Chris Harris
President,
Alexandria Branch,
NAACP
Sandy Horwitt
Author/Documentary Producer
Mike Jason
U.S. Army Colonel (retired), Defense Consultant, Pentagon
Dana Lawhorne
Alexandria Sheriff
Dana Lawhorne
Alexandria Sheriff
Norm Lodato
Gun Violence Widower
David Lord
Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney
Maurice Middleberg
Former Executive Director, Free the Slaves
McArthur Myers
Civil Rights History Activist
Alexandria Living Legend
Bryan Porter
Alexandria County Commonwealth’s Attorney
Kate Ranta
Gun Violence Survivor/Author/Activist
Amanda Roberts
Psychologist,
Mount Vernon Counseling Center
Allison Silberberg
Former Alexandria Mayor
Donnie Simpson
President,
Simpson Development Company
Terron Sims II
CEO,
Doug Pollard, LLC
Stacey D. Stewart
President & CEO,
March of Dimes
Shannon Taylor
Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney
Mary Wadland
Publisher,
The Zebra Press
Jason Odell Williams
Playwright/Television Producer