We can’t forget the victims of gun violence. Here’s how you can honor them | Opinion

By Marilyn Mulvihill

A deadly virus in China concerns us, an awards show captivates us, and an  impeachment trial consumes us. Yet every hour of every day, gun violence impacts someone in America and few of us even notice.

Few of us know that February 1-8 is National Gun Violence Survivors Week, a week that amplifies and honors the individual stories of America’s gun violence survivors.

Here are  the facts: Over 36,000 Americans are killed by guns each year. Another 100,000 survive their gunshot but live with  life-long physical, emotional and financial trauma.  

And consider today’s reality for American children: Nearly 3,000 children and teens are shot and killed and approximately 15,600 are shot and injured every year. 

Firearms are the second leading cause of death for children and teens, and are the leading cause of death for Black children and teens. What’s more, 4.5 million American women alive today have been threatened with a gun by an intimate partner. 

Our gun violence epidemic is a uniquely American problem. But Americans have the expertise to solve it | Opinion

These numbers are staggering.  We do not have the prerogative to ignore them On the contrary, each of us has a responsibility to do something to stop preventable gun violence. It is the price we pay for the freedoms given to us by the Constitution.  We owe it to our countless American gun violence survivors past, present, and if we continue to do nothing, most assuredly, future. 

There are evidence based solutions that both reduce gun violence and honor the rights of responsible gun owners.  It’s time that you were part of the solution. Text “READY” to 644-33 to join Moms Demand Action, a single issue, nonpartisan, all volunteer organization dedicated to ending gun violence in America.

We can and will do better America. Join us.

Marilyn Mulvihill is the  Pennsylvania State Communications Lead for  Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.