Thompson Announces Liz Russell as Guest for President Biden's State of the Union Address
March 6, 2024
Washington – Today, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) announced that Liz Burrell Russell, the former manager of The Pathway Home in Yountville, will be his guest to the State of the Union. On March 9, 2018, the Pathway Home was the site of a murder-suicide that took the lives of three innocent women.
“Gun violence is an epidemic that impacts every American, and on March 9, 2018, our community experienced a mass shooting that took the lives of three innocent people and left a lasting scar throughout our region,” said Thompson. “Liz lived this nightmare and channeled the trauma into advocacy. She is a leader in gun violence prevention and I am proud that she is my guest to President Biden’s State of the Union.”
"I am honored to be Congressman Thompson's guest at this year's SOTU address. His commitment to stopping gun violence, particularly as a veteran and a gun owner, has been unwavering since he took the helm of the House Gun Violence Prevention Taskforce in 2012. As a survivor of gun violence myself, I am proud to work with him on Rock the Ride for Gun Violence Prevention, as a volunteer with California Moms Demand Action, and through local initiatives in Napa County focused on means safety suicide prevention and safe storage education," said Liz Russell.
Since the tragic events of March 9, 2018, Liz Russell has partnered with Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action to advocate for commonsense gun violence prevention policies and she is a co-organizer of Rock the Ride, a benefit walk and bike ride to end gun violence.
Rep. Thompson is the chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force which works to advance gun violence prevention priorities in Congress. He is the author of the Bipartisan Background Checks Act.