SAN DIEGO — With silent prayers and harmony, St. Paul's Episcopal Church opened its cathedral to dozens of families who have lost a loved one because of gun violence.
It’s an annual event hosted by the San Diegans for Gun Violence Prevention that started in 2012 when the number of deadly shootings increased nationally.
To help address the issue, the organization has made it its mission to educate the public about the epidemic of gun violence in this country and how it can be prevented.
“So since 2012, we have had several 100,000 added to the rolls of people who have died of gun violence,” said Carol Landeale, vice president for San Diegans of Gun Prevention.
According to San Diego Police, rates of gun homicides in the county are not soaring–but they are still happening and traumatizing families.
Lieutenant Adam Sharki says outreach programs here and partnerships with the gang intervention unit target youths in hopes of positively impacting their futures.
“We do a lot as a police department to impact gun violence. One of the things we did was come up with a ghost gun apprehension team, and they proactively work to get guns off the street,” said Sharki.
While gun prevention initiatives are becoming a priority, gun violence continues to be dangerous among teens, like the Munoz family, who lost their 18-year-old son, Junior, in 2018.
“It was tough. It took three years to catch the people responsible for Junior's murder. They have grown men with their own families,” said Elizabeth and Carlos Munoz.
The loss of their son continues to be a reminder of how common crimes are in the community.
The Munoz family has also opened a trauma center for victims of gun violence and their families named after their son Junior.
They plan to continue to inform the public about gun prevention and are pushing for legislation that can help.
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