In Remembrance, Will you please sign our special card to honor the precious lives taken on 12/14/12, and every day since, by gun violence?
Eight years ago, our children and loved ones were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary. The holes in our hearts will never be filled.
For the eight-year mark of that terrible day, will you help us honor them – and every life taken by preventable gun violence – by signing our special remembrance card?
Sandy Hook Promise is a national nonprofit organization founded and led by several family members whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. Based in Newtown, Connecticut, our intent is to honor all victims of gun violence by turning our tragedy into a moment of transformation. By empowering youth to “know the signs” and uniting all people who value the protection of children, we can take meaningful actions in schools, homes, and communities to prevent gun violence and stop the tragic loss of life.
Every number you see below represents a person, often a child, with hopes, dreams, potential, and loved ones who cherished them. Children and families in the U.S. are facing a vast problem, but you can help. Share these facts, know the signs, and act to protect them before it’s too late.
EACH DAY 8 children die from gun violence in America. Another 32 are shot and injured.1
Firearms are the second leading cause of death among American children and adolescents, after car crashes.2
Firearm deaths occur at a rate more than 3 times higher than drownings.3
The U.S. has had 1,316 school shootings since 1970 and these numbers are increasing. 18% of school shootings have taken place since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012.3
In a comprehensive study of school shootings from 1974 to 2000 conducted by the Secret Service and Department of Education 93% of school shooters planned the attack in advance.4
In 4 out of 5 school shootings, at least one other person had knowledge of the attacker’s plan but failed to report it.4
Guns used in about 68% of gun-related incidents at schools were taken from the home, a friend or a relative.4
A study found that 77% of active shooters spent a week or longer planning their attack.6
Nearly all mass attackers in 2018 made threatening or concerning communications and more than 75% elicited concern from others prior to carrying out their attacks.5
In almost every documented case of active shooters, warning signs were given off.6
2018 had the most school shootings on record, but U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security research shows that if we “know the signs” of gun violence, we can prevent it and reverse the trend.5
The majority of individuals with diagnosed mental illness do not engage in violence against others.7
70% of people who die by suicide tell someone their plans or give some other type of warning signs.8
39% of parents wrongly believe children don’t know where a gun is stored.9
An estimated 4.6 million American children live in a home where at least one gun is kept loaded and unlocked.10
17 states have enacted Extreme Risk Laws, the majority being implemented following the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.11
Sources
CDC, WISQARS accessed on 1/28/19 at https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsr1804754, N Engl J Med 2018; 379:2468-2475 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMsr1804754
https://www.thetrace.org/2019/08/children-teens-gun-deaths-data/
Vossekuil, et al, 2002
https://www.secretservice.gov/data/press/reports/USSS_FY2019_MAPS.pdf
Silver, J., Simons, A., & Craun, S. (2018). A Study of the Pre-Attack Behaviors of Active Shooters in the United States Between 2000 – 2013. Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. 20535
https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Mass-Violence-in-America_8-6-19.pdf
Robins, E., Gassner, S., Kayes, J., Wilkinson, R.H. & Murphy, G.E. (1959). The communication of suicidal intent: A study of 134 consecutive cases of successful (completed) suicide. Am J Psychiatry, 115 (8), 724-733.
http://www.aappublications.org/news/2017/05/23/Firearms052317
Azrael, D., Cohen, J., Salhi, C. et al. J Urban Health (2018) 95: 295. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-018-0261-7 Accessed on 1/29/19 
Gun violence was already a crisis in the United States before COVID-19. More than 100 Americans were dying from gun violence every day, and over 230 more were shot and wounded.
To make matters worse, COVID-19 and a surge in gun sales have weakened the country's background check system, posing the threat of an even deadlier gun violence crisis.
During the pandemic, our nation's background check system has been overwhelmed by a record-breaking surge in gun sales. Between March and November of this year, 43 percent more checks were processed than in the same period in 2019. And Don, this unparalleled strain on the system has been rife with consequences.
Here are just some of the things we're dealing with:
By the end of 2020, an estimated 600,000 background checks will have taken longer than three business days. Because of the Charleston loophole, all sales that are delayed past this deadline can legally proceed. That means at least 7,500 illegal purchasers could have acquired guns this way—more than during the last two years combined.
Posts by people looking to buy guns on websites specializing in no-background-check gun sales have also spiked during the pandemic, nearly doubling in 2020 compared to 2019.
Demand has skyrocketed for ghost guns in 2020. These are unregulated do-it-yourself firearms that are not subject to background checks, do not have serial numbers, and cannot be traced when they are recovered at crime scenes.
These findings in our research make it abundantly clear that we must fix the loopholes in America's background check system.
Thank you for being a part of this movement, and thank you for taking the time to learn more about issues critical to the future of the fight to end gun violence.
Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund
In the midst of a global pandemic and a gun violence crisis, the Biden-Harris administration can and should act swiftly. Recent polling shows Americans want action now—70 percent of voters believe that gun violence is an urgent issue the federal government must address, alongside the economy and the coronavirus pandemic.
In its first 100 days, the Biden-Harris administration can use executive power to take common sense and broadly popular action. While Congressional action is necessary to fully address the gun violence crisis, the new administration can take swift steps to make meaningful progress:
Keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them by strengthening the background check system.
Prioritize solutions to the city gun violence devastating communities every day.
Heal a traumatized country by making schools safe, confronting armed hate and extremism, preventing suicide, and centering and supporting survivors of gun violence.
Collect more complete and timely data on gun deaths and injuries, and lay the groundwork for modern firearm technology that protects the public from gun violence.
Soon, we'll have a president who will take the action we've long needed.
Thank you for being a part of this movement and for taking the time to learn more about the future of gun safety.
Erica Lafferty - Everytown Survivor Network
Eight years ago today, a gunman shot and killed 20 young children and six educators at Sandy Hook School in Newtown, Connecticut.
My mom, Principal Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, was gunned down trying to protect her students and staff.
Since that terrible day, it's been eight years of mourning, but also eight years of fighting for an end to gun violence. Eight years ago, I made a pledge to never stop fighting. And now I'm asking you: Will you join me and pledge to fight for an end to gun violence in 2021?
I'm fighting for an end to the gun violence that kills more than 100 Americans every day and wounds hundreds more. I'm fighting for an end to the gun lobby's control over our elected leaders.
I'm fighting for a future where our children are not traumatized by monthly active shooter drills. And I'm fighting for a future in which our concerts and bars, our houses of worship, and places of work are safe from the threat of gun violence.
After the shooting at Sandy Hook School, Congress had a chance to enact a strong background checks bill to help prevent future tragedies.
But NRA-backed politicians blocked it. And then the same thing happened after the tragic shooting in Las Vegas. And Parkland. And El Paso. And Dayton. And so many others. And as a result, the daily gun violence in this country persists and far too many families are left to face tragedy.
But, the work that we have done this year has put momentum on our side. This year, we have elected the strongest gun safety presidential ticket in history with President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Not only have we defeated the NRA's greatest ally in the White House, but our movement is positioned to fight for real gun safety reform with President Biden in office.
In 2021, we're going to keep up the fight to end gun violence in America, and I need to know if you're still with us: Please, pledge to stand alongside me as we fight to break the NRA's hold on power and end gun violence in 2021.
Thank you for continuing to fight alongside me,
Business Insider reported today that Donald Trump Jr. may be eyeing a run for the NRA's chief leadership position.
It's hard to believe that the NRA may soon be led by someone even more extreme than Wayne LaPierre, but evidently that is a very real possibility.
We need to be ready for whatever the NRA throws at us next. Whether it is led by Donald Trump Jr. or not, we will expect the NRA to continue to pursue an extreme 'guns everywhere' agenda. Can we count on you to help us fight back? HELP US FIGHT BACK
We need your help to make sure that we have the resources necessary to defeat the NRA's dangerous and extreme agenda. Make an urgent contribution to Everytown today.
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The Sustainable Action Network (SAN), A Don Lichterman non-profit organization dedicated to building a global community raising awareness of corruption, injustice and the need for action across a full range of issues impacting people and animal/wildlife welfare around the world, such as conservation, climate change, campaign law, lobbying, government action and rescue work. SAN’s vision is to create safer world, free from political, environmental, and social oppression, where all the inhabitants of Earth can live in harmony within their own natural environments. Our commitment extends to helping local communities, fostering better educational systems, supporting the arts and culture, helping disadvantaged youth, protecting and improving the environment, animal welfare, wildlife issues and encouraging employee volunteerism.
The Sustainable Action Network (SAN), A Don Lichterman non-profit organization dedicated to building a global community raising awareness of corruption, injustice and the need for action across a full range of issues impacting people and animal/wildlife welfare around the world, such as conservation, climate change, campaign law, lobbying, government action and rescue work. SAN’s vision is to create safer world, free from political, environmental, and social oppression, where all the inhabitants of Earth can live in harmony within their own natural environments. Our commitment extends to helping local communities, fostering better educational systems, supporting the arts and culture, helping disadvantaged youth, protecting and improving the environment, animal welfare, wildlife issues and encouraging employee volunteerism.
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