Following Weekend Gun Violence in Washington, D.C., Brady Urges National Attention to Preventing Gun Violence Across the City

WHILE THE SHOOTING OUTSIDE OF NATIONALS PARK ATTRACTED NATIONAL ATTENTION, IT CAME LESS THAN 24 HOURS AFTER A SIX-YEAR-OLD WAS KILLED AND FIVE OTHERS INJURED IN A MASS SHOOTING AND LESS THAN A WEEK SINCE D.C. MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER JOINED A DELEGATION OF LEADERS TO DISCUSS VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND GUN VIOLENCE WITH PRESIDENT BIDEN AT THE WHITE HOUSE.

Washington, D.C., July 19, 2021 - Following multiple shootings in Washington, D.C., including a shooting outside of Nationals Stadium that led to widespread panic, Brady renews calls for attention to and investment in evidence-based gun violence prevention programs across the city. As a federal district, D.C. faces a unique set of challenges in addressing gun violence and preventing the flow of illegal firearms across its borders. While the shooting outside of Nationals Park attracted national attention, it came less than 24 hours after a six-year-old was killed and five others injured in a mass shooting and less than a week since D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser joined a delegation of leaders to discuss violence prevention and gun violence with President Biden at the White House. The violence over the weekend underscores the need for continued investment in comprehensive gun violence prevention and community violence prevention programs and policies to help prevent such shootings and to keep communities safe.

Brady President Kris Brown shared:

“Gun violence in D.C. disproportionately affects the city’s Black residents, while violence is highly concentrated in small pockets of the city. According to the Mayor’s office, 41 percent of all gunshot-related crimes occur in only 2 percent of city blocks. The compounding effect of this violence traumatizes those neighborhoods and communities, creating entrenched and extensive cycles of violence and community trauma.

While Americans watched the shooting outside of Nationals Park play out on television, we cannot turn a blind eye to the violence that affects all of the city’s residents on a daily basis. The shooting outside of Saturday’s baseball game should galvanize the conversation on how to prevent violence in Washington, D.C. While Mayor Bowser and the city government have prioritized violence prevention and community violence prevention, D.C.’s laws and budget are still subject to Congressional review and veto, while the city also contends with the flow of illegal firearms from neighboring states with less comprehensive gun safety laws. After the violence this weekend, Brady reiterates support for community violence prevention groups and programs and the important work that they do to prevent violence and heal communities across the city to prevent the kinds of shootings we saw over the weekend."

About Gun Violence in Washington, D.C.:

Like many cities across the country, Washington, D.C., has seen an increase in gun violence in the last year. According to the latest data, there have now been more assaults with a dangerous weapon than at the same point in 2020, which had seen rates above 2019, while the number of homicides is on pace with the increase seen in 2020, as well. D.C. saw a record number of homicides and shootings last year, homicides increased by 19 percent over 2019, the highest number since 2004, while shootings increased 33 percent. In 2020, 922 people were shot in D.C. Gun violence disproportionately affects D.C.’s Black residents, just as gun violence does nationally. Last year, 189 of the 198 homicide victims were Black and 160 of the victims were Black males.