Demand an End to Gun Raffle being held by United Way of Otero County, NM
- by: Patrice Zboya
- recipient: Brian Gallagher, President & CEO of United Way Worldwide
The United Way of Otero County NM is raffling guns--including "a military grade Barret m95.50 BMG sniper rifle, designed to kill a person a mile away" as a way to raise funds. A gun will be auctioned each Tuesday and Thursday throughout 2017. That's 108 guns to be introduced onto the streets in New Mexico.
This raffle is inconsistent with the United Ways' Mission Statement which states, "United Way improves lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities around the world to advance the common good." This raffle is extremely irresponsible in this day and age when 91 people a day are killed by gun violence.
Please help stop this raffle.
In 2013, the third leading cause of death for New Mexican children ages 1-18 was homicide, with 74% of those deaths occurring by firearm. Source: NM Vital Records.
In the same year, the second leading cause of death for New Mexican children ages 1-18 was suicide, with 34% of deaths occurring with a firearm. Source: NM Vital Records.
For every death, there are often hundreds of gun-related injuries that go unreported by private health providers. New Mexico is the 10th worst state for gun deaths. Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention, "Fatal injury Data," at http://www.cdcgov/injury/wisgars/fatal.html.
New Mexico was rated the 10th worst state for female victims murdered by males. 60% of these homicides were related to domestic violence, and 56% were the result of gun violence. Source: Violence Policy Center, "When Men Murder Women" www.vpc.org.
www.newmexicanstopreventgunviolence.org
Huffington Post: When United Ways Mission Is Incompatible With Their Actions
The United Way is raising money by raffling off sniper weapons. Yes, the United Way.
Mr. Brian Gallagher, President & CEO of United Way Worldwide,
We are writing to express our outrage at the gun raffle being held as a fundraiser by United Way of Otero County, NM. We demand that this raffle be cancelled and no further gun raffles be held by any United Way affiliate ever again.
We know that our country is traumatized by the amount of gun violence rampaging through our communities. We have felt it in our schools, movie theaters, places of worship, nightclubs, neighborhood streets, and in our homes. Many of the organizations that United Way sponsors work tirelessly to deal with the long-term effects that gun violence blasts into our lives.
Stop this gun raffle and prevent any possible future gun raffles to be held by any United Way affiliate.
This is not about the Second Amendment. Our Constitution grants the right to bear arms. However, we ask you to consider carefully the responsibility that comes with every right. While our Congress is unable to pass a law requiring universal background checks and other means to protect our citizens from the gun violence epidemic thundering through our country, there are responsible, life-saving measures we—including United Way—can take to prevent gun violence.
- Selling $50 raffle tickets to win 108 guns—some valued up to $9000—is not one of them.
- Raffling sniper rifles—that can kill a person a mile away—and other automatic weapons in a state that requires no background checks for private sales is not one of them.
Stopping this gun raffle and preventing any possible future gun raffles by any United Way affiliate is one of them. You have the authorization to do this.
We demand that you take the responsible life-saving action: Stop this gun raffle and never allow another gun raffle to be held by any United Way affiliate ever again.
We look forward to your prompt announcement that you have taken the responsible, life-saving action.
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