A mother of two victims of gun violence speaks out on National Gun Violence Awareness Day. NBC 5’s Larry Collins has the details.
Friday, June 7 is National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
It’s a day dedicated to remembering those who were killed, honoring survivors, and finding ways to end deadly trends.
Watch NBC 5 free wherever you are
WATCH HEREIn Texas, 77% of all homicides involved a gun. For families touched by gun violence, the issue goes deeper than the numbers.
“In 2018, I lost my daughter in a drive-by shooting. Ten people got shot, but two of them got killed. One was my daughter, Shamika,” Mothers of Murdered Angels founder Melinda Hamilton said. “And in 2020, my grandson was killed by four bullies. They shot him in the back in Arlington.”
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning with NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP Hamilton used her grief and pain and created the Mothers of Murdered Angels organization.
They have become a lifeline for North Texas families who have lost loved ones to gun violence. They help with the burials, and counseling and even help these families navigate the court system.
For this group, gun violence awareness is every day.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
In Texas, the rate of gun violence against teenagers more than doubled in a decade.
Already this year, there have been several shootings inside schools and near schools, a deadly shooting at a prom party, and a drive-by shooting that left four children shot.
“Well, my personal opinion the first thing we need to do is set the gun age limit back to where it was,” Hamilton said. “Number two, we need to talk to our kids. We need to get more involved. The communities need to come together better than what we have been doing.”
Friday night, Mothers of Murdered Angels will hold a gun violence awareness gathering in Trinity Park in Fort Worth from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear orange.
