TAKE ACTION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

Support Community Violence Intervention programs in your community today

We all have the right to be safe from gun violence. The U.S. government has the opportunity to protect communities across the country – last year was one of the deadliest gun violence years in the U.S. in decades.

Gun violence has become the leading cause of death for youth in the country, and communities of color are disproportionately affected. This year is on track to be worse... unless we change the way we fight gun violence

The U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate recently re-introduced the Break the Cycle of Violence Act (H.R. 5003 / S.2638), now we need action from both houses to pass the Break the Cycle of Violence Act. This legislation will provide $5 billion in funding for community violence prevention and intervention programs across the country. In city after city, these programs save lives and lower the number of gun homicides by nearly 50%.

These programs work because they are often staffed by community leaders who provide survivors and families with counseling, connections to critical services, conflict avoidance tactics, mediation and more. But with the pandemic and budget shortfalls, too many of them are losing funds.

Take Action: Urge your Congressional members to support the Break the Cycle of Violence Act. It’s time to give community heroes the tools they need to help us all live free from gun violence!

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Dear {contact_data~title} {contact_data~lastName},

As your constituent, I'm asking you to commit at least $5 billion over the next 8 years to community gun violence prevention by passing the Break the Cycle of Violence Act.

Community-level firearm violence in the USA disproportionately impacts communities of color. Firearm homicide was the leading cause of death for black men and boys aged 15-34 in 2018, and it was the third leading cause of death for Latino men and boys in the same age range. The flood of gun sales in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to make the pandemic of gun violence even worse.
 
Research indicates that long-term, adequately funded, evidence-based projects tailored towards specific social, economic and cultural contexts, and working in partnership with the affected communities, can achieve sustained reductions in firearm violence. Congress must support and prioritize programs working to address this urgent human rights and public health crisis.
 
These programs save lives and make our communities safer and stronger. That is why I support the Break the Cycle of Violence Act as an important step toward addressing this urgent public health and human rights crisis. The Break the Cycle of Violence Act would fund these critical, evidence-driven programs led by community members that are proven to be effective at preventing gun violence.
 
Persistent gun violence in the United States is denying people their civil and political rights including their right to live, the right to security of person, and the right to be free from discrimination. Gun violence also undermines the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to health and the right to education.
 
In addition to the unimaginable human toll of gun violence across the country, the economic cost is stunning. Estimates place the annual cost of gun violence at hundreds of billions of dollars every year, including medical and criminal justice expenses. Accordingly, it is not only in the interest of our fundamental human rights, but also your constituents as taxpayers, to robustly fund these programs. 
 
You can make a difference on the crisis of gun violence. As your constituent, I am asking for you to support the Break the Cycle of Violence Act and support allocating at least $5 billion over the next 8 years to community gun violence prevention and intervention programs.

Kind regards,
{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}