LOUISVILLE, Ky. — She’s a mother on a mission  to bring positive changes iin gun violence prevention. This comes as the country mourns the lives lost in a Michigan school shooting. 

What You Need To Know

  • Whitney Austin survived a mass shooting at a Cincinnati bank in 2018

  • She created the Whitney Strong Foundation to help stop gun violence

  • She is working with Kentucky lawmakers on a bipartisan bill called Crisis Aversion and Rights Retention

  • She believes the bill will go a long way in preventing mass shootings and suicides

 

Whitney Austin was in owdntown Cincinnati, Ohio in Sept. 2018 on a conference call for work when she walked through a revolving glass door. She didn’t realize it had a bullet hole in it and shattered glass.

“I entered a mass shooting and from the moment I pushed on the revolving door, is the moment I was hit with the first barrage of bullets. The impact was so forceful that I fell to the bottom of the revolving door  that I was in,”  Austin, the Executive Director of Whitney/Strong explained to Spectrum News 1.

She was shot 12 times and lived. Not one bullet hit a major organ or artery.

“I was really left in a desperate position, I thought my life was ending. Then. Out of nowhere. The Cincinnati Police Department arrived. On a dime I was thinking I can live, I can survive this event. They were so heroic, they took down the shooter, they pulled me out of the revolving door.” Austin explained.

Today, she’s the Executive Director of the organization she created after she survived, called Whitney Strong. She said their focus is to find common ground to end gun violence.

“One of the areas we focus on at Whitney Strong is what steps individuals can take make a difference to reduce gun violence. A lot of that boils down to being a responsible gun owner. I’m a gun owner, my husband is a gun owner. There are many gun owners that support Whitney Strong. This is not about ending gun ownership. This is about making sure that gun owners are responsible. The number one piece of advice that I give everyone is are you safely storing? Do you know what safe storage is means? Because if we all as gun owners safely store, we can reduce many types of gun violence, including mass shootings.” Austin explained.

The renewed push comes the same day as the anniversary of the Heath High School shooting in Paducah. It came day after a school shooting in Michigan that left four people dead. Austin said she’s working with Kentucky state lawmakers on a bipartisan bill called CARR or Crisis Aversion and Rights Retention. Austin supports the legislation, and wants people to sign this petition.

“This is a bill that would reduce mass violence and suicide across the state by making sure that when there is a crisis moment, we can temporarily separate that person from their firearm and get them the help that they need so they can get back to a place in which gun ownership is safe.” Austin explained.

In her eyes, she wants to be a voice for people, and a voice of hope.

"My life is to remind people that this violence occurs and that it can happen to you. I promise you I never believed I was going to be involved in a mass shooting." Austin explained.

Austin explained that wants to stop something like this from happening to other people. 

If you need a gun lock, her organization will give you one for free. To get one, you can send an email to Getinfo@whitstrong.org

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