P1 1WHEREAS, Death and injury arising from firearm violence by
2suicide, homicide, and unintentional shootings constitute a tragic
3and substantial burden upon the citizens of the United States and
4public health in the United States; and
5WHEREAS, According to data from the federal Centers for
6Disease Control and Prevention, in the United States approximately
781,300 nonfatal injuries and 31,672 deaths involving guns occur
8every year. That is about 308 shootings and 86 deaths every day,
9with about 13 shootings and 4 deaths per hour; and
10WHEREAS, Between 2005 and 2015, 71 Americans were killed
11in terrorist attacks on United States soil, whereas 301,797 were
12killed by gun violence during the same period; and
13WHEREAS, Mass shootings draw widespread attention to
14firearm violence from the media, the public, and policymakers but
15account for less than 2 percent of the United States firearm-related
16deaths that occur each year; and
17WHEREAS, Patterns of injury and death from firearms differ
18according to factors including age, gender, sexual orientation,
19ethnicity, geographic region, educational level, employment status,
20and social class; and
21WHEREAS, In order to be developmentally and culturally
22appropriate to relevant aspects of diversity, public policy and
P2 1prevention strategies must attend to the different relative risks,
2occurrences, and contexts across groups; and
3WHEREAS, In 2015, at least 756 American children were killed
4by gunfire; and
5WHEREAS, Young African American males living in
6impoverished urban communities bear the greatest risk of homicide
7by firearms, with African Americans almost eight times as likely
8as Caucasians to be homicide victims; and
9WHEREAS, Women are disproportionately more likely to be
10the victims of firearm violence by an intimate partner as domestic
11violence assaults in which firearms are used 12 times more likely
12to result in death than domestic violence assaults in which firearms
13are not used; and
14WHEREAS, Firearms are the most frequent means of suicide
15among older adult Caucasian men and contribute to their very high
16suicide rate. Across the United States, suicides account for nearly
17two-thirds of all gun deaths; and
18WHEREAS, Gun homicide is the second leading cause of death
19among Asian American youth in California; and
20WHEREAS, 100,000 students carry a gun to school each day;
21and
22WHEREAS, African Americans die due to gun violence at a
23rate of 19.4 per 100,000, Hispanics at 5.3 per 100,000, and
24Caucasians at a rate of 2.5 per 100,000; and
25WHEREAS, It is imperative that there be greater public
26awareness of this serious issue and that more is done to increase
27public awareness at the local, state, and national levels; and
28WHEREAS, As with motor vehicles, toxic household products,
29tobacco, and other products with inherent risks whose harms to
30the public health have been significantly reduced, firearms pose
31inherent risks that have been identified and can be addressed
32through a public health approach; and
33WHEREAS, This resolution seeks to inspire a necessary
34discussion in our communities about resources to reduce gun
35violence and improve our state’s programs in prevention,
36intervention, education, and outreach; now, therefore, be it
37Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the
38Legislature recognizes June 2, 2016, as National Gun Violence
39Awareness Day; and be it further
P3 1Resolved, That the Legislature commends the work of the Wear
2Orange Campaign, the American Psychological Association, the
3Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and other organizations
4working to raise awareness about gun violence across America;
5and be it further
6Resolved, That the Legislature encourages research, public health
7programs, and public policy to address the full breadth of firearm
8fatalities and injuries; and be it further
9Resolved, That the Legislature encourages the further
10development and evaluation of policy interventions for firearm
11violence across the full life span of firearms, from design and
12manufacture to use; and be it further
13Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
14of this resolution to California’s middle schools and hospitals.
O
99