(Woodbridge, VA) – Today, Jennifer Carroll Foy released a statement in response to the gun death of a 17 year-old boy on the street she grew up on in Petersburg, Virginia.
“Last night, I received word that steps from my childhood home, a 17 year old boy was shot and killed. A 17 year-old boy in Petersburg thought he would see his family again, grow up, live a fulfilling life, and grow old. But a gunshot ended his life on Friday, just a few steps away from where I grew up and where my family still lives. I was there three weeks ago, on that same street, visiting my aunt and my hometown.”
“These deaths are the ones that don’t always make the headlines. They’re the ones that have been occupying my brain since I was a kid in Petersburg. As I said yesterday, we need full transformational change. We need more than thoughts and prayers. We need to be active and intentional, and we must have the courage to put the right policies in place that will truly end gun deaths.”
“So yes, when I say ending gun deaths is personal to me, I mean it. When I say I won’t stop until we end gun deaths, I mean it.”
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Jennifer Carroll Foy has dedicated her life to service. As one of the first women to graduate from Virginia Military Institute, a former foster mom, a magistrate judge, and public defender, Jennifer has embodied the ideals of community, honor and commitment in every facet of her life. During her time in the legislature, Jennifer led the way on the Equal Rights Amendment, proudly supported the successful fight to expand Medicaid to over 500,000 Virginians, and passed a budget that includes a 3% salary increase for teachers. She is a proud mother to twin three year olds, and wife to her husband Jeff, who she met her first week at VMI.