Ahead of the One Year Mark of Baltimore Mass Shooting, We are Reminded of Devastating Increases in Gun Violence during Holiday Weekends in United States

BALTIMORE – Tomorrow marks one year since a mass shooting in the Brooklyn community of Baltimore, Maryland, where two people were killed and 28 were injured. It was the biggest mass shooting in Baltimore’s history and occurred as communities across the country were preparing to celebrate the July Fourth holiday, a time often marked by increased instances of gun violence. Today, the Maryland chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statements.  

“I know first hand the pain that far too many members of my community lived through on a day that should have been joyous and celebratory,” said Denise Reid, a Baltimore police chaplain and a volunteer with Moms Demand Action. Denise’s son, Tavon Terrell Waters Sr., was shot while stopped at a traffic light on October 18, 2006. He was paralyzed from the neck down, then died from his injuries on April 1, 2009 at 25-years-old. “In the year since last July, I have stood alongside the survivors of this tragedy and every senseless instance of gun violence in our city to fight for a safer future for Baltimore. And I’ll continue fighting to ensure that on July Fourths to come, people in America can celebrate what true freedom means – freedom from fear of gun violence.”

“A year ago, what should have been a community celebration became yet another gathering devastated by a senseless act of gun violence. Two people were shot and killed that day, with many others being left wounded and forever traumatized,” said Tania Terry, a volunteer with the Glen Burnie High School Students Demand Action chapter. “How many more celebrations have to end in tragedy before we do something about this crisis? This Fourth of July, we remember those who have been lost to every instance of gun violence across the country, and fight for a future where we can truly be free from gun violence.” 

Gunfire at large events and celebrations has sadly become commonplace in America. As we approach the July Fourth holiday, we also remember the two-year mark of the mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois in 2022 during which seven people were shot and killed and 48 others were shot and wounded. Just weeks ago over Father’s Day weekend, alarming rates of gun violence in the nation resulted in over 280 shootings between June 15 and June 16, while over Memorial day weekend, there were over 430 shootings nationally between May 25 and May 27, all according to the Gun Violence Archive. 

In an average year, 799 people die by guns and another 1,745 people are wounded in Maryland . Gun violence costs Maryland $10.5 billion each year, of which $383.9 million is paid by taxpayers. More information about gun violence in Maryland can be found here. 

Every day, more than 120 people in the United States are killed with guns, twice as many are shot and wounded and countless others are impacted by acts of gun violence. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens. Every year, more than 4,000 children and teens are shot and killed and more than 17,000 others are shot and wounded, and an estimated three million children in the U.S. are exposed to shootings per year.