From Mental Health to Compensation Funds, Where Can Gun Violence Survivors Find Support in the Bay Area? | KQED

"As firearms remain a stronghold in American culture and politics, gun violence continues to be an epidemic that makes the United States an outlier compared to other countries when it comes to the number of people injured and killed by others with guns. And while California's rate of firearm-related mortality is lower than the United States as a whole, with some steps of varying success towards curbing access, gun violence continues to impact the state - and the people of the Bay Area."

"An August 2023 report by the California Department of Justice found that "gun homicide caused 38% of deaths among Black teenage males over [2020-2021], compared to 4% of deaths among white teenage males." From 2019 to 2021, California authorities also found that there was a 2% increase in the number of domestic violence calls, with an 80% increase in firearms being used or threatened."

"Gun violence, whether it kills or not, can also ripple outward and bring trauma to many others around it - whether that's the people who survive being shot, the loved ones of those who've died or folks who witness a shooting or are in the surrounding area when it happens. And surviving gun violence like this is "a lifelong journey," said Keenon James, the director of Everytown Survivor Network, a survivors' group that advocates for gun violence prevention."

Firearms occupy a central place in American culture and politics, contributing to a national epidemic of gun violence and making the United States an outlier in firearm deaths and injuries. California's firearm mortality rate is lower than the national average, but gun violence still affects the state and Bay Area communities despite policy efforts. An August 2023 report found gun homicide caused 38% of deaths among Black teenage males in 2020–2021, compared with 4% among white teenage males. From 2019–2021 domestic violence calls rose 2%, with an 80% increase in firearms used or threatened. Gun violence causes long-lasting trauma for survivors, families, and witnesses. Bay Area resources exist to support survivors, and needs should not be discounted because an incident was not recent.

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