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“Surviving day to day is almost as bad as the event, as being shot”
Sara Cusimano, gunshot survivor
Gun violence changes lives forever — for the friends and families suffering the loss of a loved one, for those who witness shootings, are threatened with gun violence and for those who are shot and survive.
It is a human rights crisis, and so this week Amnesty USA is joining with others in the gun violence prevention movement to raise awareness about the impacts of gun violence, by participating in the 2nd National Gun Violence Survivors Week.
On average, across the U.S., around 366 people a day are shot and survive. This week is dedicated to lifting their stories and demanding more help and resources for survivors who face emotional, physical and financial hardships because the U.S. has failed to meet its obligation to address gun violence and to implement policies to safeguard the public from harm.
Throughout the week, gun violence survivors — including those who have witnessed an act of gun violence, been threatened or wounded with a gun, or had someone they cared for wounded or killed with a gun, will be sharing their stories and allies will be amplifying their voices. Hundreds of survivors have already shared their stories on the virtual Moments That Survive story wall.
Our recent report, Scars of Survival: Gun Violence and Barriers to Reparation in the USA examines the difficulties gunshot survivors face in getting the long-term health care, support, rehabilitation, and compensation they need and deserve. As we documented in our first report on gun violence, the US government is failing to meet its duties to protect people’s rights to life by failing to exercise adequate control over the purchase, possession and use of firearms. Most notably, the US government has failed to adopt a comprehensive, uniform and coordinated system of gun safety laws and regulations, in the face of increasing gun violence rates in recent years.
Can you help amplify the stories from the Moments that Survive site by sharing stories of gun violence survivors in your own networks, using the hashtag #MomentsthatSurvive, to represent the moments and memories that endure for survivors.
Freedom from gun violence is a basic human right. Thanks for taking action to #EndGunViolence and protect #humanrights!
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