Oct. 2, 2017—Once again the world is struggling to make sense of yet another unimaginable tragedy due to gun violence. Sunday night’s shooting at a Las Vegas music festival is a nightmare, another horrific scenario that reminds us gun violence does not discriminate. Gun violence is a threat to every one of us.
We mourn the loss of so many lives and the suffering of the hundreds who were wounded. We grieve for their friends and families, the first responders and others in the Las Vegas area who will be forever changed as a result. And on behalf of the Cal Wellness Board and staff, we say enough!
Today we reaffirm our commitment to help prevent gun violence and protect the health and safety of our communities. This work has been a priority for Cal Wellness throughout our 25 year history, and we now call upon allies in every part of society – philanthropy, government, business, law enforcement, responsible gun owners and community members – to join forces to stop gun violence, wherever it occurs, be that in our homes or in public spaces. We all deserve to feel safe, and safety is essential to health and wellness.
Now is the time for us to intensify our collective advocacy and policy change efforts to help prevent gun violence and defend progress we’ve made in California and throughout the country. We must speak out and take action.
Here’s what you can do:
- Know the facts about gun violence and about what happened in Las Vegas.
- Turn outrage to action by getting involved in the Hope and Heal Fund.
- Pay attention to how policies influence our safety and wellness, and learn about organizations working on the front lines to build safe, healthy communities free of gun violence.
- Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence
- Everytown for Gun Safety
- National Council on Crime and Delinquency
- Ryse, Inc.
- Women Against Gun Violence
- Youth Alive