Toronto Raptors form petition to raise more awareness on gun violence
Posted June 3, 2022 11:28 am.
Last Updated June 3, 2022 9:06 pm.
The Toronto Raptors have started a petition to mark “National Gun Violence Awareness Day” in Canada, calling on federal legislators to recognize the first Friday of June to ensure more action is taken on gun control.
The first Friday of June has been marked as “National Gun Violence Awareness Day” in American cities since 2015.
As part of a joint statement on behalf of the organization, John Wiggins, the Raptors’ vice president of organizational culture and inclusion, said, “In order to solve a problem, you have to acknowledge the problem exists.”
“The tragic mass shootings in Buffalo, Uvalde and now in Tulsa, have reminded us of the stark reality of gun violence in the United States — and has sparked a national conversation that gun violence does not stop at the border,” said Wiggins.
Gun violence doesn't stop at the border.
Sign the petition: https://t.co/4S4hSS60rU pic.twitter.com/jUubZxaasK
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) June 3, 2022
Citing data from Statistics Canada, Wiggins says firearm-related homicides have gone up 37 per cent over the past 11 years, noting data gaps in information collection.
The same report found that handguns were involved in about 75 per cent of violent robberies, in 2020. Sixty per cent of homicides and other violations caused death and attempted murder.
“Well, the families and communities in Toronto and across Canada who have been impacted by gun violence can tell you it is here, and it is real. Our goal is for this petition to be presented in the House of Commons and for a motion to annually mark this day to honour the survivors and victims who have been affected.”
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Four people were killed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, including the suspected gunman, compared with 21 in Uvalde, Texas, and 10 in Buffalo, New York.
There have been 18 mass shootings carried out in the U.S. already this year. Every identified suspect has been a man, many under 25.
That doesn’t include at least 60 shootings in the U.S. that have left three people dead but aren’t labelled as mass shootings.
“Since 2015, American cities have observed the first Friday of June as National Gun Violence Awareness Day. The day was founded to honour 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton who was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago, Illinois a week after she had performed at President Obama’s second presidential inauguration,” Raptors officials said.
“The movement has since expanded significantly and now honours all survivors and victims of gun violence in the country.”
The petition can be found here, on Change.org.
