About Us

Our Goal

Our goal is to prevent gun violence through research, education and advocacy.

To accomplish this, Safer Country will:

Work 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 implementation of effective extreme or substantial risk protection order laws (a.k.a. ERPO’s, SRPO’s and/or red flag laws.)
Seek annual reports from the states on their progress on the full spectrum of gun violence prevention issues.

Our Accomplishments

Incorporated in Virginia on February 14, 2019, Safer Country held a candlelight vigil to honor Heather Heyer and the victims of the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton; an event honoring the parents of a child lost to a gunshot in a neighbor’s home who passed Ethan’s law in their state to hold homeowners criminally accountable; and Zoom forums on Virginia’s new substantial risk protective order law and use of force by police. We were able to bring top law enforcement officials together for both forums and advance knowledge.

For current info, photos and relevant articles and commentary, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/safercountry – and LIKE us!

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Press Release: Office of Rep. Gerry Connolly (VA-11) “I want to thank Safer Country…”

Domestic Violence Loopholes: Under current law, Military Protective Orders (MPOs) issued by unit commanders in response to domestic violence incidents do not prohibit individuals from purchasing firearms. However, comparable civilian protective orders issued by judges do prohibit such purchases.

Connolly’s amendment, based on his Safe Homefront Act, tasks the Department of Defense with studying the feasibility of creating a database of military protective orders issued in response to domestic violence incidents, and either reporting such orders to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System or establishing a process by which military judges, and not unit commanders, could issue protective orders in response to domestic violence.

“Abuse is abuse, and no perpetrator of domestic violence – be they military or civilian – should be able to pass a background check and legally purchase a gun,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly (VA-11).

“This amendment simply asks DoD to hold servicemembers who break the law to the same standard as their civilian counterparts. I want to thank Safer Country for its help in turning the bipartisan Safe Homefront Act into reality.”

Safer Country is proud to have spurred legislation offered by Congressman Connolly that subsequently passed in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which mandates that the Department of Defense (DoD) do a feasibility study to establish a military protective order database.

This is important because, federal law, “generally prohibits a person who is the subject of a qualifying protection order from possessing a firearm or ammunition that has affected or traveled in interstate or foreign commerce.” 18 U.S.C. §922(g)(8).

In addition, as a result of Congressman Connolly adding an amendment to the House 2020 NDAA, Congress has directed the DoD to take immediate and deliberate action to ensure strict compliance with established DoD standards regarding submission to the FBI of criminal history information for servicemembers.

While not a legal requirement, this is expected to effectively push the DoD to follow its policy to report to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) service members who are prohibited from purchasing firearms.

This is important because, among the very many other instances, the Air Force failed to report the name of the mass shooter who killed 25 people, including a pregnant woman, at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas on November 5, 2017. That allowed the shooter to legally purchase the weapon he used.

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 her hotel room in Florida on December 1, 1981, days after having had lunch with her.

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 the input of Thurgood Marshall. It was a highly celebrated victory which advanced the civil rights movement.

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 worked for Paul Simon for President and 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. Towards the end of 1991, Paul married his lovely wife, Lori, moved to Alexandria, and got involved in local politics and community causes.

Paul moved on to work in the non-profit world for the State of Israel Bonds and then three different children’s organizations as Director of Development. In 2015, prior to joining VTV, Paul served as Mark Levine’s political consultant in his victorious effort to run for Delegate. Recently, he was elected to serve as a Joe Biden Delegate to the 8th Congressional District Convention and, there, as the Alternate Biden Delegate to the National Convention 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

Captain Sean Casey

Alexandria Sheriff’s Office

Charlotte Cohn

Theatre Actor, Director & Producer

Ken Cummins

President,
Capitol Inquiry

Tim Gleeson

Alexandria Undersheriff

Chris Harris

President,
Alexandria Branch,
NAACP

Sandy Horwitt

Author

Mike Gelb

Former White House Correspondent,
Reuters News Agency

Michael “Misha” Gill

Attorney

Mike Jason

U.S. Army Colonel (retired), Defense Consultant, Pentagon

Dana Lawhorne

Alexandria Sheriff

Norm Lodato

Gun Violence Widower

David Lord

Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney

Maurice Middleberg

Former Executive Director of Free the Slaves

Bryan Porter

Alexandria County Commonwealth’s Attorney

Amanda Roberts

Psychologist,
Mount Vernon Counseling Center

Shannon Taylor

Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney

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

Mary Wadland

Publisher,
The Zebra Press

Jason Odell Williams

Playwright & Television Producer