Gun violence is spiking. Time to fund the solutions. Act now »


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Dear John,

This Labor Day weekend, there were more than 57 shootings in Chicago. Already
this year, there have been more shootings in New York City than in all of 2019.

Horrifically, shootings have notably risen in other cities across the country
with seemingly no end in sight, and no substantial action by our policy makers.

Exacerbated by COVID-19, gun violence is killing hundreds of people each month — and just like the pandemic, it is disproportionately harming Black communities
and communities of color.

Say it with me: gun violence is a human rights crisis in the United States. And if we are going to address — and solve — it, we MUST address the underlying
causes, exactly how we would any other crisis.

Amnesty has been fighting tooth-and-nail to apply pressure on Congress to invest
$150 million in community-based prevention and intervention programs and pass
into law substantive reforms, like the Break the Cycle of Violence Act. This
July, in part due to pressure from Amnesty members like you, the House passed an
appropriations bill containing an increase in funding for these programs — but
the fight isn’t over. We need the Senate to do the same before it’s too late. Demand your two senators support increased funding for gun violence prevention
programs this year.
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Communities of color in the U.S. have suffered generations of marginalization
and disinvestment, contributing further to the disparate impact of gun violence. But the solution isn’t more policing. Instead, we need to invest in the programs that have already been proven to work : supporting individuals most at risk of being involved in gun violence through
street outreach programs, group violence intervention strategies, and other
community-led approaches.

These approaches are evidence-based ways to save lives — but right now, many of the community organizations that champion this work
are struggling to keep afloat because of the pandemic. What’s worse, even when
these programs have been most successful, they’ve been defunded, leading to a
resurgence of violence. If Congress fails to make a long-term commitment to violence-reduction, we will
lose even more people to the crisis of gun violence.

Urge your senators: prioritize investing in gun violence prevention and
intervention programs now.
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Thanks to the relentless advocacy of activists like you, the House of
Representatives just increased funding for community-based gun violence
prevention in July. But that’s not the end of the fight. Now, we’re turning our sights to the Senate — your senators need to know where their constituents stand.
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This is literally a matter of life and death for so many. Thank you for your
voice in this fight.

Sincerely,

Jasmeet Sidhu

Senior Researcher, End Gun Violence Campaign
Amnesty International USA

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