CUTLER BAY, Fla. — Miami-Dade detectives and Mothers Fighting For Justice met Saturday about gun violence at the Miami-Dade Police South Station in Cutler Bay.
"In 2022, 48,117 people died by firearms in the United States — an average of one death every 11 minutes," according to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Mothers who have lost loved ones, particularly their children, to gun violence spoke during a panel discussion moderated by CBS Miami's Anna McAllister.
According to the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA), much of the debate around gun violence has focused on gun regulation and keeping weapons out of the hands of potential killers, particularly those with mental illnesses.
"Far less attention has been dedicated to the impact of gun violence on victims. While individuals killed and injured in mass shootings are often "publicly remembered and mourned," the consequences of everyday gun violence "are more pervasive and affect entire communities, families, and children," said the CWLA.
Johns Hopkins' Center For Gun Violence Solutions breaks down its 2022 tally:
26,993 people died by firearm suicide,
19,592 died by firearm homicide,
472 died by unintentional gun injury, and an estimated 649 were fatally shot by law enforcement.
In addition, an average of more than 200 Americans visit the emergency department for nonfatal firearm injuries each day.
The event on Saturday afforded a handful of South Florida mothers an opportunity to check in on their cases and look for proactive solutions to prevent gun violence.
Some mothers in attendance have waited years for an arrest.
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.
