Everytown Releases New Nationwide Report on the Magnitude and Trauma of Gun Violence in America During Fourth Annual Gun Violence Survivors Week

New Survey of More Than 650 Gun Violence Survivors Illustrates the Scope of America’s Gun Violence Epidemic and its Lasting Impact on Individuals and Communities

February 1-7 Marks Fourth Annual National Gun Violence Survivors Week; By Early February, More Americans are Killed With Guns Than are Killed in Other High-Income Countries in an Entire Year

Today, Congresswoman Lucy McBath (D-GA) to Join Everytown for Virtual Conversation About The Impact of Gun Violence in America

WASHINGTON – Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, the country’s largest gun violence prevention organization, today released a new report: “When the Shooting Stops: The Impact of Gun Violence on Survivors in America.” The report provides an in-depth look at the lasting emotional, physical, legal, and financial traumas on America’s gun violence survivors and their communities. The report is the most geographically comprehensive to date, with respondents from 46 states, and the broadest, looking at a full spectrum of survivors, ranging from mass shootings and intimate-partner gun violence, to suicide, community gun violence, and more. 

The release of the report comes during the fourth annual National Gun Violence Survivors Week, taking place during February 1-7. By early February, more Americans are killed by gun violence than are killed in other high-income nations in an entire year. National Gun Violence Survivors Week seeks to share and amplify the stories of gun violence survivors who live with the agonizing and unending impact of gun violence every day. 

“Survivors are the North Star of the gun violence prevention movement,” said Debbie Weir, Chief Mission Officer for Everytown for Gun Safety. “This report is just a sampling of the lasting impact of gun violence on survivors. I’m grateful for the survivors who have lended their stories and stand in solidarity with them this week – and beyond.”

“Too many lives in this country have been changed forever by gun violence,” said Sarah Burd-Sharps, Senior Director of Research at Everytown for Gun Safety. “Our new research shows the immensity of America’s gun violence epidemic, but we know that behind every statistic, there are countless broken hearts. We will continue to shine a light on their experiences during National Gun Violence Survivors Week and throughout the year.” 

“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about Luc-John – and who he would be today,” said Adriana Pentz, a volunteer with the New York chapter of Moms Demand Action and a member of the Everytown Survivors Network whose brother, Luc-John, died by suicide with a gun on May 23, 2017. “When you have a loved one taken by gun violence, there is nothing someone can do or say to make the pain go away. This report shows a glimpse of what it means to be a survivor in our country – which unfortunately is all too common. This National Gun Violence Survivors Week, survivors are sharing their stories and continuing to advocate for gun safety so no one else has to experience what we have.”

Key findings from the new report include:

• Nine out of 10 gun violence survivors report experiencing trauma from the incident.
• More than half of those who had experienced gun violence within the last 12 months were most likely to rate the impact of trauma as a five out of five, meaning that trauma frequently affects their well-being and/or their functioning.
• Half of survivors reported that they experienced gun violence in a home: their own, a neighbor’s, a friend’s, or a family member’s.
• Two-thirds of survivors who were shot and wounded expressed the need for mental health services, therapy, and support. They also expressed the need for legal assistance as the victim of a crime (49 percent); financial assistance to deal with medical expenses such as physical therapy, rehabilitation services, and surgical equipment (40 percent); home health care (25 percent); and help covering funeral related expenses (7 percent).
• Nearly one in three survivors said that they needed legal assistance as a victim or for the death of a family member.
• One in three survivors said they needed financial support to help cover funeral costs or medical costs, or to make up for income lost because of death or injury.

Today at 1:00pm EST, Everytown will be hosting a virtual conversation about  the impact of gun violence in America, which will be livestreamed on Everytown’s Facebook and Twitter. Panelists for the conversation include:

• Congresswoman Lucy McBath (D-GA)
• Ryane Nickens, President of the TraRon Center in Washington, D.C.
• Sarah Burd-Sharps, Senior Director of Research at Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund
• Reverend Dr. Lorenzo Neal, Senior Survivor Fellow with the Everytown for Gun Safety Survivor Network

The centerpiece of National Gun Violence Survivors Week is Moments That Survive – a year-round digital storytelling platform on which people across the country share defining details of their gun violence experiences, in their own words. Moments That Survive builds community among gun violence survivors and helps the public understand how everyday life changes as a result of gun violence. Survivors, elected officials, members of the Everytown Athletic Council, and partner organizations across the country will also share their stories via social media throughout the week using #GVSurvivorsWeek.