The COVID-19 crisis has upended everything, including Washington state’s budget. That means that in the coming weeks and months, our elected officials will be forced to make hard decisions in order to balance the budget. 

We need your help to make sure that critical funding for gun violence prevention programs is not cut. We can’t afford to press pause on this lifesaving work. 

TAKE ACTION

At risk, is funding for the newly-created Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention. Last year, the legislature passed a bill to create this first-of-its-kind office that will be tasked with conducting research, proposing solutions, supporting victims of gun violence, and funding community-based violence prevention and intervention groups. 

This work is as urgent as ever in the face of the COVID-19 crisis as gun sales continue to surge and the pandemic increases the risk of gun violence. What’s more, the same communities being hit hardest by the pandemic are disproportionately burdened by the gun violence crisis as well. The Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention is a crucial first step toward centering and prioritizing the kind of gun violence that is impacting our communities—our Black and brown communities in particular—every day. 

We cannot forfeit the significant progress we have made on gun violence prevention. Please, take a minute to email state leadership to urge them to fund this vital work.

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— Dylan O’Connor is Policy and Coalition Coordinator with the Alliance for Gun Responsibility.