How You Can Help Prevent Gun Violence

In the United States over 30,000 people are killed by firearms every year. More than twice as many are injured. Gun violence in this country is a public health crisis of staggering proportions.

To reduce injuries and deaths by gun violence, we must make it more difficult for felons, fugitives, young people, and the mentally ill to obtain guns. Here’s how you can help prevent gun violence:

1. If you have a gun that you want to keep, unload it, lock it in a gun safe, and lock up ammunition separately.

The 15-year-old boy who fired into classrooms at a high school in Gresham on April 10, 2007, took the high-powered rifle he used from his home. The 14-year-old boy who took aim at a Washington County sheriff’s deputy on January 1, 2007, near Hillsboro obtained the semi-automatic rifle from his father’s unlocked gun safe and loaded it with armor-piercing bullets. Protect your children and your children’s friends by locking up your guns and your ammunition.

2. Students: If you hear that someone plans to bring a gun to school, call this number toll free: 1-866-SPEAK-UP. You can call anonymously, and your information will be passed on to law enforcement. In 81% of school shootings, including the shooting in Gresham in 2007, the shooters told others about their plans beforehand. You can prevent the next school shooting by calling 1-866-SPEAK-UP. For more information, please visit the Center to Prevent Youth Violence.

3. Before sending your children to play at someone else’s house, ASK those parents whether there’s a gun in the house and, if so, whether it is safely stored. Don’t permit your children to play in homes where there’s a gun that’s not locked up. For information on the Portland ASK Campaign, please contact the Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation at 503.220.1669 or info@ceasefireoregon.org

4. If you have a gun that you don’t want, get rid of it safely. Please visit the website of the Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation for details. You can give your unwanted gun to law enforcement officers throughout the state on most days. Call the law enforcement agency first; here are the phone numbers.

5. Call or write your legislators and urge them to enact legislation to prevent gun violence. Please visit our Advocacy page for more information.

These are just some of the things that you can do personally to help reduce gun violence. For more information, to volunteer to do more, or to make a financial contribution, please use the links at the top of this page.