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Press Release

Amnesty International USA’s Campaign Manager for Ending Gun Violence, Ernest Coverson issued the following statement in response to the passage yesterday of H.R. 4118, the Break the Cycle of Violence Act, in the U.S. House of Representatives: 

September 23, 2022

Update

Amnesty International has urged South African President Ramaphosa and United States President Biden to discuss human rights issues facing both countries ahead of their meeting in Washington D.C. this week. In its letters, the organization highlighted ongoing concerns with human rights issues in South Africa such as gender-based violence, right to education and migration and xenophobia, and in the United States which includes access to abortion, gun violence and Covid-19 tests and treatment, which we hope the two presidents will raise with each other during their meeting. You can find the letter to President Ramaphosa here and the letter to…

September 14, 2022

Press Release

In response to today’s House of Representatives vote to ban assault weapons, Amnesty International USA submitted this statement urging approval of the Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 H.R. 1808:

July 29, 2022

Press Release

Just a few weeks ago, in Buffalo, NY, an armed 18-year-old entered a grocery store in a predominantly Black community and killed 10 people, injuring many more. In Uvalde, TX, an 18-year-old entered an elementary school and murdered 19 children and two teachers. Legislators are requesting extra protection for Supreme Court Justice, Brett Kavanaugh, after an armed gunman was found near his home, threatening to assassinate him over his views in a recently leaked SCOTUS opinion. None of this is remotely new. Americans have watched in horror as people armed with guns and large capacity magazines terrorize American communities year…

June 23, 2022

Press Release

As details emerge from Texas about yet another mass killing, including of school children, Amnesty International USA’s Campaign Manager for Ending Gun Violence, Ernest Coverson, issued the following statement: “We find ourselves again horrified by yet another mass shooting. Thoughts and prayers are not enough. Cliches about lives being changed forever are not enough. We are disgusted and we are outraged. While details are still to be confirmed, this latest tragedy again underscores how U.S. government officials have allowed gun violence to become a human rights crisis. It is unacceptable and must end. We reiterate our long standing demand for…

May 24, 2022

Press Release

Ahead of President Biden’s visit to Buffalo, New York and responding to this weekend’s mass shootings across the country, Ernest Coverson, End Gun Violence Campaign Manager at Amnesty International USA, said:

May 16, 2022

Press Release

In response to today’s not guilty verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, Paul O’Brien, executive director of Amnesty International USA, said: “Today, Kyle Rittenhouse walks free after arming himself, shooting, and killing two people at Black Lives Matter protests in Kenosha, WI in August 2020. The painful reality is that our country’s criminal justice system — and our society — is predicated on white supremacy and anti-Black racism.

November 19, 2021

Update

On November 18, 2021, Amnesty International USA wrote to members of the House of Representatives to urge them to vote YES on H.R. 5376, Build Back Better Act. The bill includes $5 billion funding (over eight years) to support community violence intervention (“CVI”) programs, as requested by President Biden in his American Jobs Plan. Studies have demonstrated the lifesaving value of CVI programs, which include street outreach, community call-ins, and hospital intervention providing gun violence survivors and families with counseling, support, and mediation. H.R. 5376 would transform CVI programs nationwide and would reduce gun violence in Black and brown communities.…

November 18, 2021

Update

On June 30, Amnesty International USA and 100 human rights, civil rights, racial justice, religiously affiliated, and gun safety organizations wrote to members of Congress in support of the Break the Cycle of Violence Act (S. 2275, H.R. 4118). The letter urged Congress to act urgently to pass the bill to ensure at least $5 billion in federal funding over eight years for community gun violence prevention programs that save lives.

July 30, 2021

Update

On July 20, 2021, the Board of Directors of Amnesty International USA wrote to congressional leaders to urge them to swiftly pass the Break the Cycle of Violence Act (S. 2275/H.R. 4118) to provide at least $5 billion in federal funding over eight years for community gun violence prevention programs. With sustained investment into gun violence prevention programs and a national comprehensive strategy aimed at reducing gun violence, particularly in Black and Brown communities, the U.S. can make inroads to reducing gun violence in all communities and ensure the right of everyone to live free from the threat of gun…

July 20, 2021

Press Release

At a time when guns are killing more and more Americans, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Representative Steven Horsford (D-NV) took bold action today by reintroducing the Break the Cycle of Violence Act. Their leadership is a call-to-action for all Senators to join them in battling the United States’ decades-long gun violence epidemic. 

June 24, 2021

Press Release

Just days before Wear Orange Weekend 2021, Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) today announced the launch of the Heroes Campaign, a national advocacy effort to secure critical federal funding for community violence intervention programs. The campaign is AIUSA’s latest effort to bring attention to and to end gun violence that disproportionately affects Black and brown communities throughout the country. 

June 1, 2021