Fourth Annual National Gun Violence Survivors Week Concludes with Thousands of Survivor Voices Uplifted Across the Country

From Members of Congress and Mayors to Professional Athletic Organizations, Thousands Came Together to Amplify the Stories of Gun Violence Survivors 

New Nationwide Report Released Last Week- Featuring Responses From More Than 650 Gun Violence Survivors – Illustrates the Scope of America’s Gun Violence Crisis and its Lasting Impact on Individuals and Communities

Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Hosted Nearly 100 Events Across the Country; Survivors Shared Stories on MomentsThatSurvive.org, #GVSurvivorsWeek and More 

WASHINGTON – This past week, members of Congress, mayors, partner organizations and others came together to share and amplify the stories of gun violence survivors in honor of National Gun Violence Survivors Week. With a gun death rate 13 times greater than other high-income nations, by early February, more people are killed with guns in the United States than are killed with guns in other high-income countries in an entire year.

Beginning last Monday, National Gun Violence Survivors Week was a time to take stock of the terrible human toll of America’s gun violence crisis — and recommit ourselves to honoring survivors with action. The week featured the release of a new Everytown report: “When the Shooting Stops: The Impact of Gun Violence on Survivors in America.” The report, which is the most geographically comprehensive to date with over 650 respondents from 46 states, provides an in-depth look at the lasting forms of trauma on America’s gun violence survivors and their communities. 

The impact of gun violence on survivors was further discussed during a livestreamed virtual event with Congresswoman Lucy McBath (D-GA) that had nearly 12,000 survivors and allies across the country listen in. National Gun Violence Survivors Week continued with Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action events throughout the country, and thousands of survivors coming together to share their stories on the Moments That Survive story wall and on social media using the hashtag #GVSurvivorsWeek.  

Notable highlights from the week include:

• Nearly 100 events and activities were organized by Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers, in partnership with the Everytown Survivor Network and dozens of local community organizations, to elevate the stories of survivors of gun violence in their communities. 

• More than 32,000 Twitter mentions throughout National Gun Violence Survivors Week, using #GVSurvivorsWeek and related terms. 

• More than 115 Members of Congress highlighted National Gun Violence Survivors Week to lift up survivor voices through social media, virtual conversations, and press releases, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Mike Thompson (D-CA), the House and Senate Judiciary Committee, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and more.

• 175 mayors, state and federal officials from across the country elevated the importance of the week, including stories from survivors on social media and issuing mayoral proclamations.

• More than 60 partner organizations, including national membership groups, non-profit organizations, and faith partners across various issue areas, joined the effort in recognition of National Gun Violence Survivors Week. The groups included: American Association of Suicidology, American Federation of Teachers, American Medical Student Association, Amnesty International USA, Bayard Rustin Liberation Initiative, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus, CeaseFirePA, Center for American Progress, Change the Ref, Cities United, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Clergy for Safer Cities, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence, Democratic Attorneys General Association, Equality Federation, Everytown Interfaith Advisory Council, Gays Against Guns, Generation Progress, Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence, Greater New York Hospital Association, Guns Down America, Hadiya’s Promise, Hope and Heal Fund, Human Rights Campaign, Jared’s Heart of Success, Jewish Women International, Latino Victory Fund, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, March for Our Lives, Moms Rising, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, National Network to End Domestic Violence, National Parent Teacher Association, National Urban League, Newtown Action Alliance, Orange Ribbons for Jaime, Pax Christi USA, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Safe Kids Worldwide, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference Inc, Sandy Hook Promise, Scrubs Addressing the Firearm Epidemic, Sojourners, Stop Handgun Violence, The Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute, The Health Alliance for Violence Intervention, The Soul Box Project, This is Our Lane, and Voto Latino.

• Athletes and athletic organizations highlighted the importance of the week and shared stories of survivors of gun violence, including NBA players Reggie Bullock with the Dallas Mavericks and DeAndre’ Bembry with the Brooklyn Nets, as well as NFL players Diontae Spencer with the Denver Broncos and former St. Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey. We saw the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles and WNBA team the Connecticut Suns share and encourage others to lift up survivor stories. 

Additionally, in honor of National Gun Violence Survivors Week, 10 mayors joined Mayors Against Illegal Guns, including: Atlanta, Georgia Mayor Andre Dickens, Maywood, California Mayor Heber Marquez, West Sacramento, California Mayor Martha Guerrero, Waterloo, Iowa Mayor Quentin Hart, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Mayor Ed Gainey, Cincinnati, Ohio Mayor Aftab Pureval, Cleveland, Ohio Mayor Justin Bibbs, Dayton, Ohio Mayor Jeffrey Mims, Elyria, Ohio Mayor Frank Whitfield, and Seattle, Washington Mayor Bruce Harrell.

“Every year, I am in awe of the incredible courage of gun violence survivors who share their stories, as well as the overwhelming support of thousands of allies across this country who acknowledge the pain and lifelong traumas that survivors face,” said Debbie Weir, Chief Mission Officer at Everytown for Gun Safety. “National Gun Violence Survivors Week has inspired all of us to remember why the gun violence prevention movement is so crucial, and to remain resolute in our goal to reduce the many forms of gun violence in America.”

“National Gun Violence Survivors Week is one of the most important times of the year for the survivor community, and I’m honored by the enormous support I received this week upon telling my story,” said Vincent Perez, a volunteer with the Illinois chapter of Moms Demand Action and a fellow with the Everytown Survivor Network whose partner Shane was shot and killed in 2018. “By sharing our experiences with gun violence, we preserve the memories of our taken loved ones, uphold their legacies, and recommit ourselves to reducing gun violence in their honor throughout the rest of the year.”

The centerpiece of National Gun Violence Survivors Week is Moments That Survive, a year-round digital storytelling site and campaign in which Americans across the country share defining details of their 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. All told, 58 percent of American adults, including 68 percent of Black and Latinx Americans, are survivors of gun violence, either experiencing gun violence themselves or caring for someone who has experienced gun violence in their lifetime.