WASHINGTON — Everytown for Gun Safety and its community network, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, issued the following statements ahead of the start of Latino Heritage Month this coming Sunday.
“This month, we celebrate the vitality of our Hispanic community. For gun safety advocates like myself, Latino Heritage Month is a powerful reminder of how disproportionately our community is affected by gun violence. This is a time to highlight ongoing efforts so that future generations can live free from the threat of gun violence,” she said. Rudy Espinoza, a volunteer with Moms Demand Action in California“Gun violence continues to devastate our communities, but we refuse to lose the next generation of Latino leaders to this crisis. This year, we are changing the narrative, reclaiming our power, and fighting for a future where our children are free to be themselves without the fear of gun violence extinguishing their light.”
“The voices of young Latinos have immense power in the fight to end gun violence, as we find ourselves at the intersection of its impacts on both our communities and our generation,” she said. Sophia Mauad, volunteer leader of Students Demand Action in Michigan“This month, and throughout the year, we must reflect on how gun violence has impacted Latino communities while also recognizing that this crisis does not define us. We will continue to embrace our rich cultures and fight for our safety so that we can live the American dream our parents and grandparents wanted for us. Together we are turning pain into purpose and building a better future free of fear, where every Latino family can thrive.”
A look at some of the Latino volunteers who have applied and advocate for gun safety:
- Aaron Marquez, candidate for the Arizona House of Representatives, AZ-LD-05: Aaron grew up in Arizona, served his country on two deployments to Afghanistan, and is a member of the Everytown Veterans Advisory Board. He recently co-founded VetsForward.us, a progressive military veterans group in Arizona that promotes democratic values and is gaining support from American voters.
- Micheal Garza, candidate for Georgia Representative, GA-HD-46: Micheal is an active member of his community and has been a volunteer and active leader for Moms. In 2023, he worked as a Demand a Seat recruiter for Georgia and participated in the Demand a Seat Boot Camp in 2022.
- Sandra Jauregui, candidate for Nevada Legislature, District 41: Sandra is the current House Majority Leader in the Nevada Legislature and is seeking re-election. In 2017, she was present at the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting, which claimed the lives of 60 people and injured more than 400 attendees. She survived the shooting and gun violence prevention is a key priority in her work as a legislator.
This month, Latina volunteers from Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action will continue to take action that saves lives. They will share their stories and advocate for common-sense gun safety laws and candidates who promote gun responsibility to break the deadly cycles of gun violence. To learn more about Latina stories in the gun safety movement, visit here.
Latino families bear one of the heaviest burdens of gun violence. They die every day from gun violence at disproportionate rates compared to white people. This year, we have seen horrific attacks targeting Latino families, such as in Crete, Nebraska, where an elderly white man shot and wounded seven people of Guatemalan descent in their home after telling them to “go back to where they came from.” In Montgomery, Alabama, Three men were shot dead in a case that police described as a “hunt” against Latino-owned businesses.
A 2019 report found that 10% of Latino adults had been victims of a hate crime in the past year, although only 8% were willing to file a police report.
Each year, nearly 5,000 Latinos die from gun violence in the United States. Nearly two-thirds of all gun deaths among Latinos in the United States are homicides. Latinos are twice as likely to die from a firearm homicide and four times more likely to be injured by a firearm attack than whites. You can find more information about the disproportionate impact of gun violence on Latino communities here. here.
