The Washington D.C. chapter of Moms Demand Action, a part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, released the following statement in response to a shooting outside a convenience store in a neighborhood in Southeast Washington. According to reports, five people, including a 13-year-old boy, were shot and wounded on the morning of September 21, when a man with a firearm approached the convenience store situated in a strip mall on Alabama Avenue and opened fire.
“In the District of Columbia, these terrible instances of gun violence have become far too commonplace, and that has to end,” said Angelina Harvey, a volunteer with the Washington D.C. chapter of Moms Demand Action. “It is unacceptable that these tragedies continue to plague our city. This gun violence must be prevented with proactive, strategic community-based solutions that prioritize the safety of the most deeply affected D.C. communities.”
Washington, D.C. has taken recent steps to support community-based violence intervention programs with historic levels of approved funding in the new fiscal year budget that will go into effect in October. The new funding includes provisions for employment programs, street outreach, alternative dispatch, the expansion of the DC Pathways program, and expansions for trauma-informed mental health services, among others.
In an average year in Washington D.C., 119 people die by guns and 448 people are shot and wounded. Gun violence costs the District of Columbia $1.1 billion each year, of which $90.9 million is paid by taxpayers. The District of Columbia has the second highest rate of gun homicides and gun assaults in the country compared to all 50 states. More information on community-based violence intervention programs can be found here. Information on gun violence in Washington D.C. can be found here.