JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – On Friday, June 3, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba announced he will join a coalition of current and former mayors across the country to honor the Americans killed by gun violence.
The mayor said he stands with the nonprofit Mayors Against Illegal Guns by declaring June 3, 2022, National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
Mayor Lumumba, along with other mayors across the country, said they want to work together to advance the following principles:
- Collect and publish data to better understand gun violence in our communities
- Center racial equity in efforts to reduce gun violence
- Advocate for gun safety legislation at all levels of the government
- Advance policies and practices that reduce firearm suicides and unintentional shootings
- Invest in survivor services and community-based violence intervention programs
- Advance enforcement strategies that ensure public safety for residents
- Defend our democracy from armed intimidation
- Implement comprehensive tracing of guns
- Bring an end to unauthorized shootings by police and hold law enforcement accountable
- Use the courts to advance gun safety
- Use purchasing power to improve gun safety
- Invite other cities to join us in this effort
