Gun Violence Prevention

---

What causes someone to fire a gun at someone else? There is never a simple answer to that question. But people often commit violence because of one or more of the following:

• Expression: Some people use violence to release feelings of anger or frustration. They think there are no answers to their problems and turn to violence to express their out of control emotions.
• Manipulation: Violence is used as a way to control others or get something they want.
• Retaliation: Violence is used to retaliate against those who have hurt them or someone they care about.
• Reputation/Credibility: Probably the most important reason why a gun is used (today) is to obtain status. 

Violence is a learned behavior. Like all learned behaviors, it can be changed. Changing violence as a response is absolutely not an easy process. Since there is no single cause of violence, there is no one simple solution. Here are five things you can do right now to help stop gun violence.

1. Contact your local and State elected representatives and demand that they support and advocate for effective gun violence prevention legislation- and then follow up and hold them accountable!. 
2. Make an online tax-deductible, financial contribution to GRAAFICS or any other reputable gun violence program that supports your community- and then follow up and hole them accountable to what they said they will do. 
3. Empower, Engage and mobilize your family and friends to take a stand against gun violence and support a local gun violence agency that's on the ground doing the work! 
4. Join a local gun violence prevention organization and lend your brand power. Lending your personal brand power to support a local organization of your choice looks like: Wearing t-shirts, participating in marches and demonstrations, helping to raise money, volunteering as a staff member, using your professional resources and connections to help the cause, etc. 
5. Write Letters  |  Blog  |  Use Social Media: Write a letter to the editor in your local paper in support of the gun violence organization of your choice. Use social media to support the gun violence organization of your choice; how, whatever positive experiences you encounter in support of the organization that you have chosen, share it! 
6. Host your very own evening of information and action to educate your friends and community about gun violence and why everyone should support the organization that you support. 

Did you know that GRAAFICS has it's own gun violence prevention team? Well, we do! For more than 10 years, independent of 'Cure Violence' and the National Network for Safe Communities, GRAAFICS has been active in communities helping with the prevention of gun violence.