The HAVI’s Call to Action: Gun Violence Awareness Month 2025

Action Over Reflection: Invest in Proven Solutions

June 16, 2025

As we recognize Gun Violence Awareness Month, The HAVI stands with communities nationwide to reaffirm a vital truth: gun violence is not inevitable — it is preventable. Every day, an average of 128 lives are lost to gun violence in the United States. Gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children and teens. Black youth and young adults are 22 times more likely to die from gun violence than their white peers. This is a devastating reflection of systemic inequities and generational trauma left unaddressed. 

Yet even amid this crisis, we have powerful tools that are working.  

Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs (HVIPs) and broader Community Violence Intervention (CVI) strategies are saving lives, building trust, and healing neighborhoods. 

These public health approaches bring hospitals, frontline responders, and community leaders together to address violence at its root, offering survivors trauma-informed care and ongoing support.  

The results are undeniable: 

  • Richmond, CA saw a 55% drop in gun violence  

  • In Chicago, IL, CVI participants experienced 73% fewer violent arrests 

  • Indianapolis, IN experienced a 31% reduction in homicides over two years 

  • Cities like New York City, Newark, and Indianapolis have seen 30%– 50% reductions in gun violence driven by scaling CVI strategies 

These are not just statistics — they’re lives saved, families spared, safer communities, and the opportunity for young people to grow up free from fear. 

Yet these successes are at risk.  

CVI programs still lack the full-scale investment needed to reach every community. And now, millions of dollars in critical federal funding have been cut — dismantling the local safety infrastructure that countless communities rely on. This isn’t just a budgetary decision. It’s a threat to public safety. 

This Gun Violence Prevention Month, reflection is not enough. We must act.  

We must commit to sustained investment in what we know works. 

HVIPs and CVI strategies revitalize and unite our communities. They are a proven, bipartisan solution to one of the nation’s most pressing public health challenges. They revitalize communities, reduce harm, and restore hope. 

The HAVI calls on leaders at every level in healthcare, government, and philanthropy to move from intention to action. Back the people and programs driving real change. Continue doubling down on what is effective. Invest in safety as a right — not a privilege. 

Gun violence is preventable. We have the tools to stop it. Let’s keep using them — boldly, fully, and together.

Together for change,

The Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI)