Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence

The Springfield community endured another devastating loss to gun violence last week, with a mother and baby from the city shot and killed in Hartford. It is truly hard to fathom. Sadly, the week since has seen gun violence impacting communities across the state, with shootings in Brockton, Fitchburg, Taunton, Lynn, Boston, and a fatal police shooting in Springfield. This has been a hard and traumatic week in Massachusetts. We sincerely hope for a peaceful holiday weekend, and our deepest sympathies to the families who have experienced losses. Every person in every zip code has a right to live free from gun violence, and we will continue to fight for that right. https://lnkd.in/eGgG_T8g

This week we are giving thanks to you, our Coalition community! Because of you, we are bringing people together from across the Commonwealth to accomplish one goal - to build a Massachusetts where every person in every zip code is safe from the threat and trauma of gun violence. Whether you have attended our events, made a donation, reached out to your legislators, or shared our posts with others, you have been an integral part of our Coalition community - and we can't thank you enough.

Yesterday, Coalition staff gathered in community at the State House with our member organization Louis D. Brown Peace Institute and many others to mark the beginning of Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month. SHVAM creates space during the holiday season (Nov 20th - Dec 20th) to honor the experiences of people who have lost loved ones to homicide, gather in community to remember the victims, and educate policy makers and the public about its impact. To learn more about Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month and upcoming SHVAM events, visit the Peace Institute website here: https://buff.ly/496tnZS

Last night, Coalition staff and leadership joined our member organization and community partner UTEC for their 25th Anniversary Gala in Lowell! We're so glad that we could celebrate the incredible young people who are working to make their communities in Lowell, Lawrence and Haverhill safer and more equitable for all. The Coalition is grateful to be partnering with such dedicated advocates for youth, including Coalition Board Member and Executive Director of the UTEC Training Center for Excellence Nichelle Sadler!

On this Transgender Day of Remembrance, we remember and honor the memory of transgender people who have lost their lives to anti-trans violence. We want to draw attention to the critical role that guns play in this violence. According to a new report from our member organization and national partner Everytown, from January 2017 to December 2022, guns were used in more than 72% of homicides of transgender people. More than 65% of trans victims of gun homicide were black women. One third of trans homicide victims experienced housing insecurity, and the majority of these victims were killed with a gun. Access to guns makes hate much more lethal. The Coalition stands in solidarity with the transgender community. We are committed to building a world where people of every gender identity and expression are free from hate and the threat of gun violence. Read the full Everytown report here: https://buff.ly/4fYWG2n

We hope you can join us TODAY at NOON for a community conversation about next steps for the gun violence prevention movement in Massachusetts and beyond. As the country prepares for the incoming administration, Coalition staff and leaders have been in many conversations about what the future holds for the gun violence prevention movement. And we want to share these conversations with our Coalition community. WHEN: TODAY - Friday, November 15th at NOON WHERE: Zoom Coalition staff and leaders will outline what we have learned so far, and share actions that our Coalition community can take to support the work ahead. Participants will also have the opportunity to bring their thoughts and questions. We hope you can join us for this important conversation. Registration is required. Please sign up and submit questions in advance here: https://buff.ly/4fq4SJi

We're so glad that we could join our community partner YouthConnect for their 13th Annual Partnership Breakfast! YouthConnect provides violence prevention, intervention, advocacy and mental health services to youth who are involved in the criminal justice system and their families. We are grateful to be working with such dedicated advocates for young people and community violence prevention, including Coalition Board Member and YouthConnect Executive Director Kevan Barton! Learn more about YouthConnect's work here: https://buff.ly/3Z0SoCe

As the country prepares for the incoming administration, Coalition staff and leaders have been in many conversations about the road ahead for the gun violence prevention movement. We want to share these conversations with you, our Coalition community. Join us this Friday for a community conversation about gun violence prevention work in Massachusetts and beyond. WHEN: Friday, November 15th at NOON WHERE: Zoom Coalition staff and leaders will outline what we have learned so far, and share actions that our Coalition community can take to support the work ahead. Participants will also have the opportunity to bring their thoughts and questions. We hope you can join us for this important conversation. Registration is required. Please use the registration link to sign up and submit questions in advance: https://buff.ly/4fq4SJi

Today, on this day after the election, we all have so many questions. First and foremost for the Coalition are questions about what gun violence prevention efforts will look like on the federal level. In recent years we have seen major developments in addressing gun violence as a public health crisis. This work has been both historic and foundational to bringing rates of gun violence down in cities across the country. It has kept us - and our children - safer from gun violence. It absolutely must continue. We implore the incoming administration to keep the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and utilize it to collaborate with organizations like ours to find solutions and prioritize safety for all Americans. We urge them to move critical provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act forward, such as the implementation of Extreme Risk Protection Order laws, and to continue the historic investments in Community Violence Intervention programs that have been a catalyst for the reduction of violence seen in so many major cities. While these questions sit deeply with us right now, there are other things we are quite certain of. We know what our work is here in Massachusetts. We know who we are as a Coalition. We know that you, our Coalition community, stand with us as we continue to envision a work where every one of us, in every zip code, lives free from the threat of gun violence. Our path forward is clear, and it has never been more critical. We will ensure that the newly passed gun safety law is implemented and we will protect it from those who seek its repeal. We will continue to organize on a local level, push municipalities to have a plan to address gun violence, and engage youth to be at the forefront of that advocacy. We will continue our education efforts through quarterly meetings, lunch and learns, workshops, film screenings, and newsletters. We will continue to build coalition and bring in organizations from throughout the Commonwealth and from every form of gun violence prevention work. And we will launch new initiatives, including a new program for volunteer engagement. Because we also know that you want to be meaningfully involved in this work. And we want to work meaningfully with all of you. There are many questions. We are more committed than ever to building a world where every one of us, in every zip code, lives free from the threat and trauma of gun violence.

Tomorrow is Election Day! Here in MA, the new gun violence prevention law is protecting our right to vote. A key provision in this law prohibits guns in polling areas and early voting sites, and mandates that guns must remain at least 150 feet away from these locations. This past week, The Trace published a piece about advocacy efforts across the country to prohibit firearms from polling places and early voting sites, and how advocates here in MA and in Colorado were successful in getting legislation passed. We are proud to have been a part of the successful advocacy effort here in Massachusetts, and we are committed to protecting this critical law from repeal. Looking for more ways to stay informed about gun violence prevention? The Trace is an excellent resource for journalism about the gun violence crisis in the United States. We highly recommend checking out their website and following their newsletter. Read the full piece from The Trace here: https://buff.ly/3Z1OZDj