The Uvalde Foundation For Kids
26 June 2024
(National/Washington DC)
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
National student advocacy & violence prevention nonprofit, formed after the Uvalde, Texas mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May, 2022 applauds U.S. surgeon generals recent declaration of gun violence as a "Public Health Crisis." Foundation officials say the advisory opens up broader opportunities for 'cultural, grassroots efforts' to end gun violence in America.
The U.S. surgeon general on Tuesday declared gun violence a public health crisis. This driven in part by the fast-growing number of injuries and deaths involving firearms across the nation. In response, The Uvalde Foundation For Kids, formed following the 2022 Uvalde, Texas mass shooting, which killed 19 students and 2 adults, issued the below statement Wednesday morning, applauding the latest advisory by the nation's top doctor.
Foundation officials noted in Wednesday's release, which followed Dr. Vivek Murthy's announcement on Tuesday; that the latest advisory suggests that the country's top leaders have, "begun to understand the need to address on a national & aggressive level, the daunting violence affecting Americans, young and old, in communities large and small across this country."
The foundation also noted in the recent announcement out of Texas, in support of Murthy's advisory; that, as a reflection of the crisis, there have been over 652 incidents nationwide of gun violence in schools alone since the Uvalde, Texas mass shooting. Foundation officials estimate that current statistics universally suggest that more than 48,000 Americans died in 2022 alone from gun injuries overall, including from school shooting incidents.
Dr. Vivek Murthy's official stance now comes as the U.S. has faced yet another 2024 summer weekend daunted by mass shootings that have left dozens of people either dead or wounded. To drive down gun deaths, Murthy suggests a ban on automatic rifles, introduction of required universal background checks for purchasing guns, regulation of the gun industry & the passage of laws that would restrict gun use in public spaces and penalize individuals who fail to safely store weapons.
Statement by Daniel Chapin Founder of The Uvalde Foundation For Kids: "For far too long, across this nation, communities large and small have felt the effects of increasing gun violence. Within the walls of our classrooms, to our community parks, to our city streets - too many lives have been lost; both young & old. As it was once said by one of our youth heroism award recipients from Ohio, student Casey Orloski, "We have more than enough thoughts and prayers, to fill a thousand graveyards." Now is the time beyond thoughts and prayers, for the nation to address gun violence as the serious health epidemic that it is. We applaud Dr Murthy's recent advisory which we hope will mark the start of true change in America when it comes to gun violence.
Dr. Murthy's advisory potentially opens up a broader range of grassroots local, state & national opportunities and more "Serious consideration," granted those individuals and organizations nationwide seeking to effectively address gun violence in those areas. Additionally the advisory, by sheer presentation alone demands community leaders nationwide take a more critical, cultural microscopic approach to reducing gun violence so that those lives lost will not have been so in vain."
The Uvalde Foundation For Kids
254 206 9089
