Member of Giffords Law Enforcement Coalition Joins Hearing to Highlight How Gun Violence Impacts Children and Families

March 7, 2018 — Today, Chief Hank Stawinski, a member of the Giffords Law Enforcement Coalition, testified at a Senate hearing that highlighted how a generation of American children have been impacted by the gun violence crisis. The hearing, co-hosted by U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) was titled “America Speaks Out: Protecting Our Children from Gun Violence” and included survivors of gun violence and family members who shared their experiences urged Congress to act quickly to strengthen the nation’s gun laws.

“Children are 17 times more likely to die from a gun in America than in other countries. That is a crisis and our country’s leaders need to do more to stop the violence,” said Hank Stawinksi, Police Chief of the Prince George’s County Police Department. “This is a problem that can be solved if Congress works together. I firmly believe that partnerships and good policy do prevent crime and keep communities safer.”

Among others who testified at the hearing were survivors of the Parkland, Sandy Hook, and Virginia Tech mass shootings along with other victims of gun violence, law enforcement experts, education professionals, and activists.

Ahead of the hearing, Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence released a new report detailing the impact the gun violence crisis is having on children, in addition to the toll of school shootings. Among it’s findings are that 150,000 American students have experienced school shootings and that 91% of children in high-income countries who are killed with firearms live in the United States.

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