California Moms Demand Action, Everytown Applaud Governor Newsom for Including Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program Funding in May Revise Budget

The California chapter of Moms Demand Action, a part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following statement applauding Governor Newsom for including California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program (CalVIP) funding in the 2020-2021 May revise budget: 

“Gun violence hasn’t stopped amid the coronavirus pandemic, and neither have violence intervention groups,” said Krystal LoPilato, a volunteer leader with the California chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We applaud Governor Newsom for recognizing the importance of CalVIP and including funding for these life-saving programs in this budget.”

CalVIP supports community-based violence intervention programs that apply a localized approach to reducing gun violence in California’s hardest-hit neighborhoods. These programs apply a public health model to ending gun violence and keeping Californian communities safe. Many community-based prevention and intervention programs in the U.S. have now adapted their strategies to inform community members about the risks of COVID-19. 

There are nearly 14,000 gun homicides in the U.S. every year. In 2015, half of the gun homicides in the US took place in just 127 cities, which contain less than a quarter of the population. And while California has some of the strongest gun laws in the country, there’s still an average of more than 3,000 gun deaths in the state every year. 

More information about violence intervention and prevention funding available here. Statistics about gun violence in California are available here, and information on how California’s gun laws compare to other states overall is available here. 

If you have any questions, or would like to speak with volunteers with California Moms Demand Action, please don’t hesitate to reach out.