Parkland father Fred Guttenberg joining anti-gun Brady PAC

Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year old daughter Jaime was killed in the 2018 mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., will join Brady PAC, an anti-gun violence group.

Guttenberg will serve as a senior adviser to the group, according to The Associated Press.

“Jaime may only have been 14, but she was the toughest, wisest person I ever knew,” Guttenberg told the news service. “If you want to know my motivation for why I’m doing this with Brady PAC right now, that’s the reason.”

The AP added that Guttenberg, who has become a well-known activist since the shooting, said that he visited his daughter’s grave this week and asked “asked her for guidance.”

He also said that “Jaime is my strength.” 

Brady PAC, formed during the 2018 midterm elections, promotes candidates who are against gun violence and spent $5 million during the 2020 election cycle, the AP noted. 

Guttenberg also noted that Democrats could maintain their control of both chambers of Congress in 2022.

“I think people need to stop acting like everyone knows what’s going to happen in 2022 and get back to working for what you want to happen,” he told the AP. “I want more gun safety candidates elected to the House and the Senate. Period. Full stop. And I think that voters agree with me.”

“I believe we are one election cycle away from either getting this done, or one election cycle away from losing the chance,” he added.

“We do it now or we never do it.”

Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty Wednesday to 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted first-degree murder in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

—Updated at 1:52 p.m.