ROOT Petition to Reduce Gun Violence in American Communities
"Too many lives are being lost; too many victims injured, and too many communities are being held hostage to this systemic and endemic tide of violence. As a government, and as a community, we must begin to offer proactive, rather than reactive alternatives," - Kenneth E. Barnes, Sr., MS Founder and CEO of ROOT (Reaching Out to Others Together) Inc. From 2001 to 2005 in the United States of America there have been 47,562 senseless deaths as a direct result of gun violence according to the Uniform Crime Reporting Program. ROOT Inc. urges communities to ban together in a movement to end this senseless violence and make public officials accountable to this epidemic. The toll on communities affected by Gun Violence has an everlasting effect on its citizens, not just with numbers lost to homicides but the devastating emotional impact on the community as a whole.
There is homicide and violence all around me. Neither my family nor my friends are safe anymore. The welfare and safety of my family and friends are my number one concern. I have decided to take action myself. I Pledge GUNS ASIDE.
We, the undersigned, are concerned citizens who urge our leaders and for Congress to hold hearings to act now to make the reduction of gun violence and public safety a priority and to direct the necessary resources to support ROOT Inc. in its efforts designed to reduce the epidemic of gun violence so pervasive in our communities.
