MPR News with Angela Davis

The toll of gun violence on survivors

Coming up at 9 a.m. on Wednesday

police lights on car at night
How do survivors and their communities cope in the aftermath of gun violence?
Michael Fortsch | Unsplash

The news recently has been filled with gun violence.

This past weekend, two young men were shot and killed after fights broke out in downtown Minneapolis.

The same night in Birmingham, Ala., four people were shot and killed outside a nightclub.

And at the beginning of September, a student at Apalachee High School outside Atlanta killed two other students and two teachers with a rifle.

We often focus on the people killed by guns. But there were also people wounded at each of these recent shootings, people who will live for the rest of their lives with physical scars and mental trauma.

Two teenage girls and a young woman were injured in Minneapolis. Eighteen people were wounded in Birmingham. A teacher and eight students survived Apalachee.

There were crowds of witnesses at each shooting diving for cover. Family members and friends who were not at the scenes are angry, grieving and scared.

Recent research from the Violence Prevention Project Research Center at Hamline University shows that the mental health toll of gun violence is staggering. Nearly half of all Minnesotans are afraid of being shot in a public place. Of those who have been at the scene of a mass shooting, 90 percent report suffering from anxiety, depression or PTSD.

Coming up at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about the impact of gun violence on survivors and the broader community.

And we want to hear from you, too. 

Have you survived being shot? Have you witnessed gunfire? How did the experience affect you and change your life? Or, maybe someone you care about was injured or killed by gunfire. We want to hear your story. Call 651-227-6000 or 800-242-2828 during the 9 a.m. hour.

Guests:

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