The Maryland chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, released the following statement in response to several shootings in Baltimore on Wednesday evening that killed three people, and left four people wounded. According to reports, the four victims were found in a neighborhood of East Baltimore, three of whom died of gunshot wounds, including DaShawn McGrier, a Safe Streets worker. Other shootings reported in South and West Baltimore wounded three other people. Everytown supports the work of Safe Streets through its Community Safety Fund, as street outreach workers navigate danger in their efforts to save lives – often risking their own to do so.
“Last night was a harrowing reminder that there is so much more work to be done in order to address gun violence, in Baltimore and across our state,” said Cindy Camp, a volunteer with the Maryland chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Our communities continue to reel from the impact of this violence, especially when it involves an individual who committed themselves to making Baltimore a safer place for us all. Our hearts are with the victims of these shootings as we continue to fight to end gun violence.”
In October of 2021, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott allocated $50 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act toward violence intervention programs throughout the city. The funding will be utilized over three years through the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE) on projects such as community-based violence intervention, victim services, youth justice, re-entry services, and other community healing efforts.
In an average year in Maryland, 724 people die by guns and 1,747 people are wounded. Gun violence costs Maryland $5.7 billion each year, of which $375.8 million is paid by taxpayers. More information on gun violence in Maryland can be found here.