Statement by NACCHO Chief Executive Officer Lori Tremmel Freeman

Washington, DC, June 2, 2023 — On June 2, 2023, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), representing the nation’s nearly 3,000 local health departments, recognizes National Gun Violence Awareness Day. On this day, we honor the memories of and grieve those who we have lost from gun violence, and we uplift the strength and resilience of survivors of gun violence.

Tens of thousands of people lose their lives and many more are injured, both physically and mentally, each year as a result of gun violence. Every day an estimated 124 Americans die from a firearm related incident. While gun deaths continue to increase, systemic and structural racism drive disparate health outcomes, leading to the greatest increases among children and teens and disproportionately effecting Black and Indigenous communities.

These deaths are not data points; they represent our neighbors, friends, children, family members, and colleagues. Each death causes a ripple effect of grief and loss that disrupts families and communities alike. The continued trend of increasing gun-related deaths is alarming and threatens the social fabric of our local communities and nation as a whole.

On this National Gun Violence Awareness Day, NACCHO uplifts the work of our local health department leaders in communities across the country as they work tirelessly to address gun violence as a public health issue. NACCHO shares in their grief and outrage for the lives that have been lost. But we also look to action and call for a comprehensive, equitable, and bold response in honor of their memories.

We offer our deepest gratitude to health department staff, community and government partners, advocates, and individuals who work tirelessly to prevent gun violence and support communities in the aftermath. National Gun Violence Awareness Day offers a critical public platform to collectively raise awareness of the injustice of preventable gun violence injury and death, challenge misinformation about gun-related violence, share in grief for those lost, and reaffirm our commitment to a steadfast and equitable response to gun violence.

For more information on the work of local health departments to address gun violence and for related resources, please see this NACCHO blog.

# # #

About NACCHO
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation’s nearly 3,000 local health departments. These city, county, metropolitan, district, and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities. For more information about NACCHO, please visit www.naccho.org.