HOUSTON (KIAH)–In a release from Harris County Public Health, staff said that it’s important to raise awareness and reflect on gun violence education and prevention. The number of mass shootings across the country continues to grow and we must work together for effective preventive measures. June is Gun Violence Awareness Month and Harris County Public Health is highlighting the rising statistics. They’re calling on residents to join together to help put an end to the number one cause of violence in today’s youth.
Statistics show that males ages ten to 14 years in the United States had an 85.7% increase in firearm/related deaths of males in this age group which is also the largest percentage increase in firearm-related deaths from 2016-2020. For females ages five to ten had the largest percentage increase in gun-related deaths from 2016 (34 total deaths) to 2020 (46 deaths), an increase of 35.3% in gun-related deaths of females of this age.
Texas has one of the highest rates of gun violence in the United States, including homicides, suicides, and unintentional shootings. The after-effects of gun violence extends beyond victims and families to the communities t hey live in. People who survive in a firearm-related injury may experience long-term consequences, including problems with memory, thinking, emotions and physical disability from injury to the brain, paralysis from injury to the spinal cord and chronic mental health problems.
To help get this messaging out for Violence Awareness Month, CHVPS is hosting events through June at various locations:
Date: June 13, 2023: 12-4 p.m at Carriage Place Apartments/Casa Paz-505 Wells Fargo Dr. Houston, TX 77090
June 19, 2023: 10-2 p.m at Yellowstone Park (George T. Nelson Park) 3820 Yellowstone Blvd, Houston, TX 77021
June 24, 2023: 10-2 p.m at Sunnyside MSC-4410 Reed Road, Houston, TX 77051
June 29, 2023: 1-6 p.m at Wesley Square Apartments- 7402 Calhoun Rd #220, Houston, TX 77033
You can learn more at hcphtx.org or call 713-274-4877. Email questions to violenceprevention@phs.hctx.net.
