Surviving day to day is almost as bad as the event, as being shot



National Gun Violence Survivors Week: Saturday Feb. 1— Saturday Feb. 8, 2020

“Surviving day to day is almost as bad as the event, as being shot”
Sara Cusimano, gunshot survivor

Gun violence changes lives forever — for the friends and families suffering the
loss of a loved one, for those who witness shootings, are threatened with gun
violence and for those who are shot and survive.

It is a human rights crisis, and so this week Amnesty USA is joining with others
in the gun violence prevention movement to raise awareness about the impacts of
gun violence, by participating in the 2nd National Gun Violence Survivors Week.

On average, across the U.S., around 366 people a day are shot and survive. This
week is dedicated to lifting their stories and demanding more help and resources
for survivors who face emotional, physical and financial hardships because the
U.S. has failed to meet its obligation to address gun violence and to implement
policies to safeguard the public from harm.

Throughout the week, gun violence survivors — including those who have witnessed
an act of gun violence, been threatened or wounded with a gun, or had someone
they cared for wounded or killed with a gun, will be sharing their stories and
allies will be amplifying their voices. Hundreds of survivors have already
shared their stories on the virtual Moments That Survive
[[link removed]] story wall.

Our recent report, Scars of Survival
[[link removed]] : Gun Violence and Barriers to Reparation in the USA examines the difficulties gunshot survivors face in getting the long-term
health care, support, rehabilitation, and compensation they need and deserve. As
we documented in our first report on gun violence, the US government is failing
to meet its duties to protect people’s rights to life by failing to exercise
adequate control over the purchase, possession and use of firearms. Most
notably, the US government has failed to adopt a comprehensive, uniform and
coordinated system of gun safety laws and regulations, in the face of increasing
gun violence rates in recent years.

Can you help amplify the stories from the Moments that Survive site by sharing
stories of gun violence survivors in your own networks, using the hashtag
#MomentsthatSurvive, to represent the moments and memories that endure for
survivors.

Freedom from gun violence is a basic human right. Thanks for taking action to
#EndGunViolence and protect #humanrights!

Ernest Coverson

End Gun Violence Campaign Manager
Amnesty International USA

© 2020 Amnesty International USA

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