Valerie Foushee: “I rise today with urgency, grief, and determination during National Gun Violence Awareness Month, a time for us to…”

“I rise today with urgency, grief, and determination during National Gun Violence Awareness Month, a time for us to recognize the heartbreaking toll that gun violence continues to take on communities across the country. I am deeply saddened that this past Sunday in my home State of North Carolina, there was a mass shooting where at least 80 shots were fired, killing 1 person and injuring 11 others. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Gun violence is a public health epidemic that affects Americans and ravages communities in every ZIP Code in every State. Yet, year after year, we see the same devastating trend: Black Americans are dying from gun violence at nearly three times the rate of White Americans. Each year, more than 13,000 Black lives are lost to this epidemic. They are mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, friends, and neighbors whose futures are stolen, whose communities are left grieving, and whose absence is deeply felt every single day. Tragically, the violence does not end there.”