Ending the Gun Violence Epidemic in the U.S.

Another school shooting. More innocent children and their teachers killed in cold blood. And more thoughts and prayers from our elected officials who we elect with the expectation that their legislative actions contribute to safe communities. And once again, they continue to disappoint us.

The time has come for all good women and men to come to the aid of our country. I can’t say with 100-percent certainty but there’s likely not a day on the calendar that is now marked as a day to remember a mass shooting at a school, church, shopping center, or other public place. If you’re genuinely concerned and want to “do something,” then join me as a volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Do it today.

Like Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, a grassroots movement that created change in the attitudes of Americans regarding driving after drinking alcohol, Moms Demand Action is seeking create a similar change in attitude regarding the gun culture in the U.S.

Moms Demand Action is a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence. We work to pass stronger gun laws and work to close the loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our families. We also work in our own communities and with business leaders to encourage a culture of responsible gun ownership. We know that gun violence is preventable, and we’re committed to doing what it takes to keep families safe.

Source:?https://momsdemandaction.org/about/

Let me say it now, and say it loud,?Moms Demand Action IS NOT ABOUT GUN CONTROL!?We’re about getting our elected officials to take meaningful action to?REDUCE GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA. Gun violence in the U.S. takes many forms beyond criminal activity like homicides:

• Children getting their hands on a gun that the “responsible gun owner” did not properly and safely store and then unintentionally shooting another person, too often another child.
• Suicides using a firearm. Most people who attempt suicide DO NOT DIE unless they have access to a gun. When they have access to a firearm 85-percent of those attempts at suicide result in death (Only five percent of suicide deaths are from other means).

Gun suicide is a preventable public health crisis — especially among young people. Gun suicide claims the lives of 23,000 people in America every year and addressing this crisis is critical to addressing gun violence. ○ We know that the ongoing pandemic, the surge in gun sales, and the severe economic downturn could make this public health crisis far worse. Moms Demand Action volunteers are raising awareness and fighting for more common-sense methods to prevent gun suicide including extreme risk laws, secure storage laws, and resources to prevent this tragedy in all communities.

Source:?https://momsdemandaction.org/about/

Over 53,000 military veterans died by gun suicide in the period between 2005 and 2017 — more than 13 times the number of service members who were killed in action during the United States engagements in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria combined. When the veteran community talks about suicide, but fails to discuss guns, they are ignoring the means responsible for 7 of 10 veteran suicides. Veterans are more likely to use a gun as a lethal means for suicide.

Source:?https://momsdemandaction.org/about/

• Domestic violence involving a firearm. States with the highest rate of gun ownership have a 65-percent higher rate of domestic firearm homicides. Not only are 53 women in the U.S. shot and killed by intimate partners every month on average, but nearly 1 million women alive today have been shot or shot at by an intimate partner and millions more have been threatened with a gun. Access to guns makes it five times more likely an abuser will kill their victim. Guns exacerbate the power and control dynamic used by abusers to inflict emotional abuse and exert coercive control over their victims, even when abusers do not ultimately pull the trigger.

We can support the Second Amendment while doing so much more to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people and make our communities safer. These are the ACTIONS that Everytown and Moms Demand Action believe can have a significant and positive impact on reducing deaths and injuries from gun violence (Did you know? EVERY DAY in the U.S. more than 100 people are killed with guns and another 200-plus are injured).

1. Background checks for ALL firearm purchases, regardless of where the purchase takes place. Federal law in the U.S. is unchanged since 1992, before there was widespread access to the Internet and Google was not yet invented. Close the deadly loopholes in our background check system that allow minors and dangerous people like convicted felons and domestic abusers easy access to guns;
2. Promote gun safety so that America’s children will no longer be exposed to unacceptable levels of risk;
3. Support reasonable limits on where, when, and how loaded guns are carried and used in public; and
4. Create enforceable laws that address gun trafficking and fraudulent purchasing to keep illegal guns off our streets.

If you are ready to join the more than 8 million followers and volunteers of Moms Demand Action, visit the Moms Demand Action?website?or text?READY to 644-33.

Thoughts and prayers have not, and never will, end this epidemic of gun violence in America. Only the actions of concerned citizens who believe there are solutions.?Are you that person?