Demand action to prevent gun violence.
Tell Your U.S. Rep: Pass the Build Back Better Act >>
Content notice: This message contains discussions of gun homicide.
John,
My life used to be simple. I was a very private, shy person with a few friends and two growing boys. Like all moms, I learned on the job and tried my best. I was proud of my sons.
At age 24, my son Ricky moved out. Two months later, on August 3, 2012, he was shot multiple times while parking. Part of my heart died that day and, from the ashes of his death, a new me was born.
I'm not the shy woman I used to be. Now, I'm an active member of community-based gun violence intervention groups working to end the crisis that killed my son.
I know firsthand the difference that investing in community-based gun violence intervention makes—and what happens when our communities don't get that support. That's why right now, I urge you to tell your U.S. representative to support the Build Back Better Act.
The Build Back Better Act includes $5 billion in funding for community-based gun violence intervention initiatives. Passing this bill would be a historic step forward in addressing community gun violence, a public health crisis that disproportionately impacts Black and brown communities in the United States. It would also be a first-of-its-kind, strategic investment over eight years in the communities most impacted by gun violence.
These approaches to ending gun violence are informed by public health models, and provide culturally competent, trauma-responsive services to individuals and communities impacted by gun violence. By securing a major investment in these programs, we can put solutions in places that will help bring this crisis to an end.
John, our lawmakers need to hear from us now: Tell your U.S. representative to support the Build Back Better Act and make a historic investment in gun violence intervention.
Ricky lived a happy life, and my soul is renewed each time I see a tiny piece of evidence that, through my efforts, Ricky lives. And wherever I go, my voice is that of a young man who loved and was loved, who laughed, told jokes, played sports, loved cooking and travel, projects and dreams.
Thank you for being a part of this movement.
Maria Pike Davis
Everytown Survivor Network
