Former State Policy Director Ari Freilich joined Giffords Law Center in early 2015. He has worked to draft, champion, and pass a variety of gun safety reforms into law, including California’s landmark Proposition 63 ballot initiative. Ari works closely with legislators and activists in states across the country and has written Giffords Law Center’s comprehensive reports about suicide prevention and closing the firearm relinquishment gap.

An expert on mental health policy and state legislation, Ari has discussed and debated issues related to gun violence on TV, radio, and in print and has been quoted in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, USA Today, the Atlantic, Huffington Post, Mother Jones, CNN, NPR, and many other outlets.

Prior to joining Giffords Law Center, Ari was an AMVETS veterans’ advocacy legal fellow, where he focused on litigation and policy work surrounding the military justice system’s treatment of mental health and suicide. He also published multiple law review articles on these topics. Ari earned his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his law degree from Stanford Law School.