This week, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and our sister organization the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence released a new report -- A Public Health Crisis Decades in the Making: A Review of the 2019 CDC Gun Mortality Data.

And it got someone’s attention…

Even as we focus on fighting COVID-19, it’s important to recognize that there’s another pandemic raging right now—one that’s decades in the making and unique to the United States. We need to treat gun violence with the same urgency and resolve. https://t.co/3nD7uc194V
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 24, 2021

When President Obama says, we need to treat gun violence with “urgency and resolve,” he is right! We MUST invest in evidence-based action to address this epidemic.

You can read more about the report in the USA Today article detailing the disproportionate impact in communities of color.

This public health analysis reveals important key takeaways like…

Nearly 40,000 Americans died by gun violence in 2019 and 60% of these deaths were suicides
Firearms were the leading cause of death for Americans ages 1-24
Nearly 1 in 10 gun deaths in 2019 were children and teens
37% of gun homicide victims were Black males between the ages of 15 and 34 – although they made up only 2% of the U.S. population
The total gun death rate — including all forms of gun fatalities — was highest in the most rural counties

This vital work impacts public policy -- paving the way for real change. With your help, we can turn data into evidence-based policies and turn those polices into life-saving action. We are on the precipice of change. But we can not do it alone.

We need your help. Please Donate today to help us continue these efforts and make lasting change that will help build a safer, more equitable United States of America.

Sincerely,

Josh Horwitz

Executive Director

Coalition to Stop Gun Violence

P.S. If you would prefer to make a tax-deductible contribution, please give to our sister organization, the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence.