Gun deaths so far and action steps

 June 24, 2023

Each of these people had mothers and fathers, sisters or brothers, and friends and many other relationships in their lives. That would probably affect about 20-40 people for each one who died, I'm guessing on average.

So around 500,000 people have been affected by these gun deaths.

Another way to look at it is that we've just had 6 months of 2023 so far, about 26 weeks of this year. That makes about 14 mass shootings a week.

Just pausing to think about that.

NPR posted this on July 5, 2020

Monday night, a gunman wearing a bulletproof vest killed five people in a southwest Philadelphia neighborhood. Two children — ages 2 and 13 — were injured.

Another shooting occurred the same night at a street festival in Fort Worth, Texas, killing three people and wounding eight.

One day earlier, in Baltimore's Brooklyn Homes neighborhood, a shooting at a block party killed two people and left 28 injured.

These are among the 11 mass shootings — defined as acts of gun violence injuring or killing at least four people — that have occurred this month, and 346 mass shootings since the beginning of the year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Note the progression from June 24 - July 5, That's 11 days.

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This weekend should have been filled with block parties, barbeques, and joyful gatherings of all kinds. But once again, the Fourth of July was marked by devastation and heartbreak. Even as we honored the victims and survivors of one mass shooting, more deadly tragedies unfolded in communities across the country.

Until we take action, these killings will continue. For every family member who has had their life shattered by gun violence, we can and must do more.

The communities and people impacted by this weekend's tragedies will never be the same.

But this reality is not inevitable—we are not helpless in the fight against gun violence. Our lawmakers can and must pass gun safety laws that are proven to save lives. After the deadly shooting in Highland Park, Governor Pritzker set an example of how to respond to these tragedies: He signed a law that banned the sale and distribution of assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and machine gun conversion devices in Illinois. And we've seen similar life-saving action on gun safety in states across the country this year, from Minnesota to Maryland, among many others.

Our lawmakers on the local, state, and federal levels can and must continue to fight for common-sense gun safety policies that will save lives.

As we honor the victims and survivors of the shooting in Highland Park, and of every shooting that happened this Fourth of July weekend, join me in demanding action. Read my new op-ed with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in Teen Vogue about what we must do to help end this crisis.

Thank you for being a part of this movement.

Angela Ferrell-Zabala
She/Her/Hers
Executive Director
Moms Demand Action

Today's quote:

The past is to be respected and acknowledged, but not to be worshipped. It is our future in which we will find our greatness. -Pierre Trudeau, 15th Prime Minister of Canada (1919-2000)