Hi John,

Today marks the start of Black History Month and National Gun Violence Survivors Week.

By early February, more people are killed by guns in the United States than are killed in our peer countries in an entire calendar year.

That’s why this week is National Gun Violence Survivors Week. It is a time to lift up every life that has been impacted by gun violence—from the 40,000 people killed and the 100,000 people wounded each year to the countless others who have experienced the trauma of shootings or who have lost a loved one to this epidemic. We know that you do not have to be struck by a bullet to be a survivor of gun violence. The impacts of this epidemic are far reaching and long lasting.

While gun violence impacts all of our communities, it does not impact us equally. As Black History Month begins, we must highlight that Black communities bear the brunt of the crisis. 68 percent of Black Americans or someone they care for has experienced gun violence.

We refuse to sit on the sidelines as gun violence steals more than 120 American lives every single day. Please, join us in honoring all victims and survivors of gun violence with action. Contact your US Representative and urge them to act on gun violence prevention by supporting a federal safe storage law.

Thank you,
Renée (she/her)