SEATTLE, WA – The Alliance for Gun Responsibility issued the following statement in response to new data released by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office showing that more people were shot in King County in the first six months of 2020 than during the same period in any of the previous four years. 

The number of overall shooting victims is up 21 percent from the three year average, with a 44 percent increase in the number of fatal shooting victims and a 16 percent increase in the number of non-fatal shooting victims. The data also highlights the disproportionate toll gun violence takes on young people and communities of color. This year, 42 percent of shooting victims were under the age of 25 and people of color accounted for 73 percent of the victims.

“This new data is extremely troubling,” said Renée Hopkins, CEO of the Alliance for Gun Responsibility. “This uptick in violence comes as our communities are confronting fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and reckoning with the most recent incidents of police brutality. It serves as a reminder of the continuous toll gun violence takes on our communities, often without making headlines. Behind each of these numbers is a family and a community irrevocably changed by the scourge of gun violence. Our hearts go out to all those who have been impacted by this senseless violence.

This data makes clear that the need for meaningful and sustained support for community-based violence intervention and prevention programs is as urgent as ever. Last year, the Washington State Legislature passed a bill to create a first-of-its-kind Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention. As our communities face the challenges ahead, including significant budget shortfalls, the work of this office is more important than ever.” 

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