Displaying items by tag: gun violence

As gun violence increases and shootings make headlines every few days, the fear of getting caught in one is changing the lives of millions of Americans. The shops, the schoolroom, the teenager's house party have all suffered mass shootings in recent weeks. It feels as if it could happen anywhere. 60% of adults have talked to their children or other relatives about gun safety, according to a survey by an organisation focused on health policy. Gun violence has caused some to uproot their lives and move to a different neighbourhood or city. As it has worsened, there has been a surge in demand for bulletproof backpacks for children, says the owner of a self-defence item manufacturing company. Pray for more psychiatric help to be available for children growing up in areas where gunshots are frequently heard. Pray for all schools to have a wise safety plan and provide medical training for staff.

The US House of Representatives has voted through a series of measures regulating the sale of guns. The new measures would bar sales of semiautomatic weapons to people under 21 and ban large-capacity magazines. But Republican opposition in the Senate means the bill has little chance of entering law, despite a renewed focus on gun control in the wake of a series of mass shootings. Hours before the vote, survivors of the Uvalde school shooting gave emotional testimony to lawmakers which reduced some to tears. The primary school shooting in the Texan city claimed the lives of 21 people, including 19 young children. One 11-year-old girl said she had smeared her classmate's blood on herself to play dead, and graphically described the moment the gunman shot her teacher in the head. Breaking news: on 9 June a gunman killed three and injured many others, yet another example of what the debate is about: see

New York, which saw 51 shootings over the 4 July holiday weekend, has become the first US state to declare a disaster emergency order to address rising gun violence. It comes amid reports of a rise in gun deaths countrywide, including nearly 200 over the same weekend. State governor Andrew Cuomo signed the executive order that will funnel the equivalent of £100m towards gun violence intervention and prevention. In March, the FBI released preliminary 2020 statistics showing a significant jump of 25% in murders from the year before. The upward trend has continued into 2021. The majority of homicides are gun-related. In late June Joe Biden unveiled a strategy to combat rising homicides including curtailing rogue gun dealers and firearms trafficking and more funding for law enforcement. The state disaster declaration describes gun violence as a public health crisis, and more people are now dying from gun violence than from Covid.