GIFFORDS announces Latino Advisory Council
The council will advocate for gun safety while uplifting the needs of Hispanic and Latino communities
WASHINGTON — Today, GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention organization led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, announced the formation of its new Latino Advisory Council, a program guided by Latino activists, healthcare professionals, educators, business leaders and others intended to uplift gun safety advocacy in Latino communities. The advisory council will establish a Latino engagement program that centers the needs of Latinos as it works to end gun violence in Latino communities. The advisory council will host a webinar on September 23 to discuss the real impact of gun violence on the community, and will hear from survivors and local advocates.
“Gun violence devastates communities nationwide, but Latino and Hispanic communities bear an outsized share of this crisis. Too many lives are cut short and too many families are left shattered,” said former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. “Latino voices have the power to drive the change we need and the time to act is now. That’s why GIFFORDS is launching the Latino Advisory Council with Latino leaders across the country to mobilize their communities, elevate solutions and demand change.”
“The disproportionate impact of gun violence that the Latino community endures is unjust, unnecessary and must be addressed,” said GIFFORDS’ vice president of government and political affairs, Vanessa Gonzalez. “That’s why we’re working with community leaders to lift up solutions that truly reflect our communities unique needs. Latinos aren’t a monolith and we can’t rely on methods that don’t take our culture or lived experiences into account. I’m proud of the leaders we’ve already assembled to guide this council, and am incredibly excited for the future of our work.”
Gun violence has an outsized impact on members of the Latino and Hispanic communities:
- Gun violence kills nearly 5,300 Latinos in the U.S. every year.
- Gun deaths among Hispanics have increased at nearly twice the rate of gun deaths nationally. From 2014 to 2023, the number of Latino gun deaths rose 91% compared to the national gun death rate of 40%.
- Latino youth are especially impacted by gun violence. Gun violence is the leading cause of death for Latino males from 15 to 19.
- Almost half of all Latino youth in major US cities live less than a mile away from a gun homicide that occurred in the past year.
You can read the GIFFORDS report Gun Violence in Hispanic & Latino Communities here: English version | Spanish version
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