D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement in support of Friday as National Gun Violence Awareness Day that the city will mourn the nearly 40,000 lives lost to gun violence annually, including 48 people killed so far this year.
“When we look at the data around gun violence, the numbers are devastating,” Bowser said. “And what we must never forget is that behind every number is a real person, and behind every victim is a network of family and friends who are left heartbroken and traumatized.
“[Earlier this week], I was in the tragic position of needing to call on our community to help us solve the murder of 15-year-old Maurice Scott,” the mayor said. “Maurice was a son and a brother and a beloved student and classmate. Not only did the person who shot and killed Maurice steal his life and future, they have inflicted trauma on an entire family and community, and they must be brought to justice.”
Bowser said that in addition to gun violence never being accepted as normal, likewise D.C. will never accept children being shot while they are playing outside or walking to the corner store as normal.
“As we continue calling on the federal government to implement common-sense gun control, we must work together as a community to treat the trauma that violent crime creates, end cycles of violence, and hold the perpetrators of violent crime responsible,” she said.
The mayor implores residents to say something if they know something.
“If you have information about a crime in our community or know about an illegal gun in your home or neighborhood, we urge you to contact MPD’s anonymous tip line by calling 202-727-9099 or by texting 50411,” she said.