JUNE IS NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH. Every day, more than 300 people are directly impacted by gun violence in the United States. Gun Violence Awareness Month was created to draw attention to this tragic reality and demand life-saving change. The St. Louis Archdiocese honors this month with a weekly series of bulletin articles.

From the St. Louis Archdiocesan Task Force On Gun Violence Prevention:

Gun violence devastates individuals, families, and communities in the United States and the St. Louis Archdiocese.  As Archbishop Rozanski has noted, “Gun violence is a human life — a quality of life — issue.  Those who are threatened by gun violence are not living the fullest potential of their lives.”

More than 43,000 Americans are killed with guns, and approximately 76,000 more are shot and wounded.  In Missouri, nearly 1,400 people die by guns every year.  Missouri has the 4th highest rate of gun violence in the country.