The Seahawks joined individuals and organizations around the country in recognizing National Gun Violence Awareness Day on Friday. In addition to joining the movement to wear orange to honor the more than 40K lives that are taken by gun violence each year, and the countless lives that are forever changed by this preventable crisis, the Seahawks also encourage everyone to support local organizations that are trying to stop gun violence.
The Seahawks' efforts to combat gun violence focus on five topics and on supporting organizations that address those issues:
Racism & Gun Violence:
- For generations, Black and brown communities have been the disproportionate victims of gun violence. Black Americans are nearly 10 times more likely to die by gun homicide than white Americans and 10 times more likely to be shot and wounded.
- We encourage you to support and learn about community-based organizations like https://www.communitypassageways.org/, https://choose180.org/ and https://www.creativejusticenw.org/ working to transform lives through restorative justice.
Suicide
- Firearm suicide is a significant public health crisis in the United States, claiming the lives of 24,000 Americans every year, including nearly 1,200 young people and 4,500 veterans.
- If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK(8255) or visit https://namiseattle.org/get-support/
Domestic Violence
- Women are more vulnerable to gun violence than men. Every month, an average of 70 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner. BIPOC women are disproportionately impacted.
- If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE(7233) or visit https://newbegin.org/find-help/
Child Safety & Secure Storage
- Firearms are the leading cause of death for American children and teens. Every year, more than 3,500 children and teens are shot and killed and 15,000 are shot and wounded.
- Visit https://gunresponsibility.org/ for more information on gun responsibility.
Hate Crimes
- In an average year, more than 10,300 hate crimes in the U.S. involve a firearm—more than 28 each day. In most of the U.S., people convicted of hate crimes can still legally buy and possess guns.
- For more information on solutions visit https://www.everytown.org/issues/hate-crimes/
In addition to supporting the above-listed organizations, the Seahawks also recently made donations to the Buffalo Together Community Response Fund, which addresses topics including issues that have marginalized communities of color, and to the Bills Foundation who will donate to nonprofits working on emergency response efforts to address needs, including food insecurity, of Buffalo's East Side community.
