Andy Parker

Andy Parker is the author of "For Alison- The Murder of a Young Journalist and a Father's Fight for Gun Safety". On August 26, 2015, the lives of Andy and Barbara Parker changed forever when their daughter Alison, a journalist for WDBJ7, was murdered on live television near Roanoke, Virginia. While his emotions were still raw, Andy vowed on national television to do "whatever it takes" to end gun violence in America. The phrase turned into a national rallying cry to fight for life-saving firearms policies. Since then, he has traveled across the country to speak on behalf of ballot initiatives and pro "gun sense" political candidates. and a national gun reform advocate who has appeared on all major news networks-CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox News-on programs such as CBS Sunday Morning, Face the Nation, Anderson Cooper 360, Hardball with Chris Matthews, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino, and many more. He has written Op-Eds for a variety of publications, such as Washington Post, New York Daily News, Medium, CNN, USA Today, Huffington Post, and Newsweek; and has been interviewed for publications ranging from the New York Times to People magazine. Andy has worked to develop commonsense gun legislation with activists such as the Giffords organization, the Brady Campaign, Everytown for Gun Safety, and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. Together with his wife, Barbara, Parker runs the For Alison Foundation, which creates opportunities for children in southern Virginia to experience the arts. Previously, Parker was a Broadway actor, a politician, and the owner of an executive recruiting firm. He lives in Martinsville, VA.