Founder of Mothers Against Guns

Lucy Cope, originally from Scotland, now lives in a housing association in Peckham. She is a single-mother of eight children, two of which have been taken from her in the last six years. Her Jamaican husband, Winston, passed away in the 80s.

In 2002 Lucy was studying for an NVQ in the care of elderly and handicapped children when a family tragedy occurred making her change her focus of attention to an
alternative cause.

On 29th July 2002 Lucy's son Damian was shot by a small calibre hand gun outside Browns nightclub in Holborn, central London. He died 6 hours later in hospital. Since his death, Lucy has become a leading anti-firearms campaigner, forming the powerful nation-wide organisation Mothers Against Guns.

With Lucy's help Mothers Against Guns has had a major influence on Government policy and won several victories in its campaign for tougher gun control legislation. In 2003 this resulted in the introduction of a five year sentence for illegal possession of a firearm.

Lucy also played a key part in organising the gun amnesty that resulted in thousands of weapons being handed in to police. She continues to work closely with Operation Trident - the Metropolitan specialist police operation set up in 1998 to tackle black-on-black violence.