NPEIV Press Release on Gun Violence
Three killed and 12 injured in a shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival on July 28, 2019. At least 22 killed and 26 injured at an El Paso, Texas Walmart on August 3, 2019, which included a mother shielding her 2-year-old son and three Mexican nationals. And less than 24 hours later, 9 people killed and at least 27 injured in Dayton, Ohio during the morning hours of August 4, 2019. “The commonality of these incidents – and the trauma and suffering experienced by not only those directly impacted, but all people of this country – has become a stark reality of American life. A reality that is not only preventable, but also unacceptable” says Viola Vaughan-Eden, President of NPEIV.
There are two commonalities among these all too frequent and devastating events – white nationalism and lack of meaningful gun reform. “When our leadership fails to take appropriate action to address the epidemic of gun violence, while also espousing divisiveness, racism and vitriol in their own rhetoric and speech, it emboldens this type of mass violence to occur” according to Robert Geffner, Co-founder of NPEIV, President of the Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma. It creates an environment where hatred and divisiveness are encouraged, minimizing our many shared commonalities and goals. It directly leads to the events over the past several months.
Despite recent claims that the persons committing these crimes suffer from mental illness, that is just not true. Only 3%–5% of violent acts can be attributed to individuals living with a serious mental illness. In fact, people with severe mental illnesses are over 10 times more likely to be victims of violent crime than the general population. It is extremism, hate and racism driving these mass shootings, not mental illness.
Words matter. Disrespectful, racist and divisive language from those in power results in emboldening and sanctioning harmful and violent actions towards those perceived as “other.” Creating an “us” versus “them” mentality serves no one, especially not for the people of the United States. Diversity, inclusiveness and respect are the cornerstones for a successful civilization. “Embracing diversity, inclusiveness and respect not only makes us stronger, it enables us to build bridges which facilitate communication rather than conflict, compromise rather than violence, and appreciation rather than disdain” says Pearl Berman, NPEIV President-elect.
Resources for coping with mass shootings and gun violence cannot – and will not - be our only answer to this public health epidemic. It is time for change, it is time for inclusion, and it is time for reform. NPEIV calls upon the President to unite, rather than divide, our country. It is time for all Americans, including those in Congress, to call for an end to hateful, discriminating, and racist language by those in influential and leadership positions. It is time for Congress to stop ignoring the epidemic of gun violence by enacting meaningful reforms to protect our children, our communities and all Americans.
The National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence (NPEIV) is an overarching group of individuals, organizations, agencies, coalitions, and groups that embrace a national, multi-disciplinary and multicultural commitment to violence prevention across the lifespan. It is our mission to make the prevention of interpersonal violence a national and international priority and to encourage healthy relationships by linking science, practice, policy and advocacy.
Through our many partnerships and collaborations, it is our vision to end all types of interpersonal violence, for all people, in all communities, at all stages of life. For more information or to become involved, please visit www.npeiv.org , provide your support for the NPEIV National Plan, and/or join us on September 4, 2019 in San Diego for the annual NPEIV Think Tank.