GIFFORDS honors victims of the 101 California Street shooting
WASHINGTON — GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention group led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, released the following statement marking 33 years since the 101 California Street shooting in San Francisco. Eight people were killed and six more were injured in the shooting, which took place at the San Francisco law firm Pettit & Martin. The shooting led to the founding of GIFFORDS Law Center, then called the Legal Community Against Violence (LCAV), which researches, drafts and defends commonsense gun legislation and pursues affirmative litigation against the gun industry.
The people killed during the shooting were Shirley Mooser, Allen J. Berk, Donald “Mike” Merrill, Jack Berman, Deborah Fogel, Jody Jones Sposato, David Sutcliffe and John Scully. One of those injured, Brian F. Berger later died from those injuries.
“I will never forget the people who lost their lives over three decades ago. They should still be here. Every day, we honor their lives through the work we do at GIFFORDS Law Center, which was founded in their memory,” said former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. “Since its inception, the Law Center has worked each year to end gun violence and ensure that no one else endures the pain and injustice it brings. The Law Center’s work has also been instrumental in the passage of hundreds of gun laws across the nation and at the federal level, and countless lives have been saved as a result.”
“Today, we honor the memories of those who were killed on 101 California Street more than three decades ago,” said GIFFORDS Law Center Policy Director Lindsay Nichols. “Since GIFFORDS Law Center’s first days, we have seen hundreds of victories. But there is still work to be done. GIFFORDS Law Center is proud to be a driving force in the nationwide push to end the gun violence epidemic. As the Trump administration continues to dismantle commonsense policies that American families rely on to feel safe, we will continue to fight back.”
GIFFORDS Law Center has recently developed several tools and resources for use by journalists, attorneys, researchers, victims, legislators and interested citizens. The newest include:
- A political violence tracker documenting firearm-involved incidents connected to politics and elections from 2016 through fall 2025.
- A Second Amendment Expert Witness Report Databasecompiling expert witness reports that have been filed in courts across the country as part of Second Amendment cases since 2011.
Other resources include:
- Gun Law Trendwatch, which compiles new information on gun legislation across all 50 states.
- Data dashboardsthat compile and display CDC gun death data, sortable by a range of factors.
- Reports on gun violence in Black communities, Hispanic communities (in English and Spanish) and Asian and Pacific Islander Communities.
- The 2025 Annual Gun Law Scorecard.
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Our experts can speak to the full spectrum of gun violence prevention issues. Have a question? Email us at media@giffords.org.
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