Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Applaud Governor Newsom for Protecting Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program Funding in the 2020-2021 Budget

The California chapter of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, today released the following statement applauding Governor Newsom for protecting and maintaining California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program (CalVIP) funding in the 2020-2021 budget. The signing of the budget, with the inclusion of CalVIP funds, also comes after survivors of gun violence and more than 40 gun safety groups, including Giffords and community organizations, called on Governor Newsom to protect CalVIP funding amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

“Governor Newsom and the California legislature continue to prove that they are serious about ending gun violence in all its forms,” said  Krystal LoPilato, a volunteer with the California chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We’re grateful to our state leaders for recognizing the positive impact that these programs make in some of our hardest-hit neighborhoods, and are hopeful that these funds will continue to save lives.”

CalVIP supports community-based violence intervention programs that apply a localized approach to reducing gun violence in California’s hardest-hit neighborhoods. These programs apply a public health model to ending gun violence and keeping Californian communities safe. Many community-based prevention and intervention programs in the U.S. have now adapted their strategies to inform community members about the risks of COVID-19. 

There are nearly 14,000 gun homicides in the U.S. every year. In 2015, half of the gun homicides in the US took place in just 127 cities, which contain less than a quarter of the population. And while California has some of the strongest gun laws in the country, there’s still an average of more than 3,000 gun deaths in the state every year.  

More information about violence intervention and prevention funding available here. Statistics about gun violence in California are available here, and information on how California’s gun laws compare to other states overall is available here. 

If you have any questions, or would like to speak with volunteers with California Moms Demand Action, please don’t hesitate to reach out.