The Toronto Raptors have been grieving for the friends and families who have lost loved ones due to recent gun violence, including the two mass shootings last month in Uvalde, Texas and in Buffalo, New York and now in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

 

It has been difficult for our organization to observe the pain that our neighbours have been experiencing, and the events have reminded us that we are not immune: along with mass events such as Nova Scotia in 2020, Canadians are exposed to individual acts of violence involving guns every day.

 

According to a Statistics Canada report released last week, firearm-related homicides have risen by 37 percent over the past 11 years – though there are large data gaps in information collection. The report also found that in 2020, handguns were involved in about 75 per cent of violent robberies, along with 60 per cent of homicides and other violations causing death and attempted murder.

 

It’s time for action.

 

Today, June 3, 2022, is National Gun Violence Awareness Day in the United States. Observed on the first Friday of June every year since 2015, the day was declared to honour 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago, a week after she had performed at President Barack Obama's second inauguration. The movement has since expanded, and the day now honours all survivors and victims of gun violence.

 

The Toronto Raptors ask you to urge Canadian legislators to observe National Gun Violence Awareness Day in Canada by adding your signature. Together, we can honour the survivors and victims of gun violence in North America, and bring awareness to the issue we face in Canada.

 

Our goal is to reach more than 100,000 supporters before the petition is presented to the House of Commons and a motion is passed to observe this day, beginning in 2023.

 

Please share if you want #GunSafetyForAll

 

-- The Toronto Raptors