It鈥檚 been 10 years since a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown left 20 students and six educators dead. The tragedy put renewed focus on America鈥檚 gun laws and on .
But the country also struggles with a less-talked-about form of everyday gun violence. In 2020, more than 45,000 people died from gun-related injuries in the U.S., . During that same year, nearly involved a firearm, the highest percentage since the late 1960s.
鈥淲e are going to hear a lot of stories about Sandy Hook over the next couple of weeks, as we should,鈥� said Jeremy Stein, executive director . 鈥淏ut we also need to make sure that we鈥檙e talking to those survivors that are in places like New Haven, Bridgeport, Hartford 鈥� those places that are seeing gun violence on an almost daily basis.鈥�
Stein said that gun death rates in 海角换妻 are statistically low compared to other states but that 鈥渨hite people in 海角换妻 are far better protected than Black and brown communities.鈥�
A 2018 found Black men are .
Sean Reeves, with CT Against Gun Violence, lost his son 11 years ago .
鈥淲e have had several mass shootings throughout the last few years, which has informed and pushed policy,鈥� he said.
But Reeves said lawmakers need to do more to address everyday gun violence in communities.
鈥�I don鈥檛 really think policy addresses those things yet,鈥� he said.
Stein said all citizens need an equal chance at having an equal quality of life.
He said it鈥檚 important for the media to tell stories from Sandy Hook, but it鈥檚 also imperative that Americans pay attention to gun violence in cities.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 hear about these stories that are existing every day,鈥� Stein said. 鈥淪ometimes the media forgets to report on that, and sometimes we take it for granted. It鈥檚 鈥極h, yes; another Black man killed in Hartford. Oh, let me scroll the page.鈥�
鈥淲e can鈥檛 stop caring about this,鈥� he said.
