39 mass shootings in 24 days
Schools. Grocery stores. Malls. Walmarts. Movie theaters. Churches. Synagogues. Offices. Parades. Nightclubs. Neighborhoods. And now, a gas station, a farm, a youth educational program, and a ballroom dance studio.
In the 24 days of 2023, America has witnessed 39 mass shootings that led to 70 deaths and 167 wounded. Beyond the shootings that make headlines, every single day, 110 people die from guns in the United States.
This is not freedom. The preamble to the U.S. Constitution states that a fundamental purpose of our government is to “insure domestic tranquility” – and every single politician took an oath to uphold the Constitution before taking office. When hundreds of Americans are killed daily from the scourge of gun violence, domestic tranquility does not exist. We deserve to live in peace, free from the constant threat of violence.
We are sick and tired of hearing politicians offer thoughts and prayers to the victims of these senseless tragedies – when they refuse to take action to prevent them from happening in the first place. We cannot continue to live like this, and watch those around us die like this.
We must act.
Since almost all mass shootings involve assault weapons, we must continue to demand a federal assault weapons ban. According to a 2019 study at New York University Grossman School of Medicine, mass shooting fatalities were less likely to occur in the United States when the assault weapons ban was in place from 1994 - 2004. After the assault weapons ban expired in 2004, every effort to reinstate it has failed due to Republican opposition. Congress must do their job and take action to ban assault weapons.
Urge Congress to Ban Assault Weapons
JWI recently launched a Jewish Gun Violence Prevention Roundtable so Jewish organizations can use our collective voices to build safer communities. We are dedicated to working together with our members to advocate for gun sense policies, safety and prevention education, awareness, and more to protect our country from future tragedies. If your organization would like to join, please click here.
Learn more about JWI's Jewish Gun Violence Prevention Roundtable
Next week, you can honor and support survivors who live with the traumatic impact of gun violence during Gun Violence Survivors' Awareness Week from February 1st - 7th. If you are a survivor, use the digital storytelling site, Moments that Survive, to submit your personal story in your own words.
Uplift and honor survivors of gun violence
We refuse to sit idly by while our fellow Americans are shot and killed daily. Each of us has a role to play in ending gun violence. We can – and we will – make change to save lives.
Jewish Women International (JWI) is the leading Jewish organization working to end violence against women and girls domestically and internationally. JWI's National Center on Domestic & Sexual Violence in the Jewish Community is the hub of resources, trainings, and research to support the field. It convenes The Collaborative, the network of all Jewish domestic violence agencies in the U.S. and established and hosts the Interfaith Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence and the Clergy Task Force to End Domestic Abuse in the Jewish Community. A Steering Committee member of the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, JWI’s advocacy efforts focus on the passage of legislation that supports women and girls, ensures their economic security, and protects their right to live free of violence.