HOUSE DEMOCRATS MARK NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE SURVIVORS WEEK

DENVER- Today, members of the House Democratic Caucus, led by their colleague Rep. Tom Sullivan (D-Centennial), released the following statement commemorating National Gun Violence Survivor’s week:

“This week, from Monday February 1st through Sunday the 7th, is National Gun Violence Survivors Week.

“The week was first commemorated in 2019 as part of an effort to amplify the stories and voices of gun violence survivors who live with the traumatic impacts of gun violence every day. Given our country’s tragically high gun death rate as compared to the rest of the world, early February marks the average point at which more people are killed with firearms in the U.S. than are killed with firearms in our peer countries in a whole year. These harrowing numbers include the number of deaths by suicide in which a gun is used, which claim the lives of 23,000 Americans every year.

“When mass shootings occur, media reports are quick to quote the number of lives senselessly lost. It is much more difficult, and much more daunting, to calculate the number of lives affected. Nearly 60% of adults in our country can be considered survivors of gun violence, meaning they have either experienced gun violence themselves or have a close friend or family member who has directly experienced gun violence in their lifetimes. The number of individuals who have been impacted is even higher in Black and Latinx communities.

“House and Senate Democrats are no strangers to gun violence. Several of us have lost loved ones to this epidemic, a few of us are among the countless Americans who have survived gun violence personally, and all of us are determined to take action to curb gun violence in our communities and across our state.

“Colorado has experienced a series of tragic and high profile mass shootings, and everyday acts of gun violence, including deaths by suicide, continue to plague our society. Acknowledging the damaging and pervasive impact that gun violence can have long after a shooting has occurred is more important than ever, as we continue to lose loved ones and while certain dark corners of society deny the truth of tragic mass shootings in our children’s schools. This week, as we uplift the voices and stories of those who live with the impacts of this epidemic within our caucus and across the state of Colorado, we pledge to continue our work to stem this violent tide.”

Signed,

Representatives Susan Lontine, Alec Garnett, Meg Froelich, Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, Alex Valdez, Steve Woodrow, Jennifer Bacon, Leslie Herod, Emily Sirota, Edie Hooton, Karen McCormick, Tracey Bernett, Judy Amabile, Tony Exum, Sr., Marc Snyder, Chris Kennedy, Monica Duran, Lisa Cutter, Dylan Roberts, Brianna Titone, Kerry Tipper, Lindsey Daugherty, Dafna Michaelson Jenet, Yadira Caraveo, Adrienne Benavidez, Kyle Mullica, Shannon Bird, Mike Weissman, Tom Sullivan, David Ortiz, Naquetta Ricks, Iman Jodeh, Dominique Jackson, Daneya Esgar, Mary Young, Cathy Kipp, Barbara McLachlan, Julie McCluskie and Donald Valdez.