National Nurses United

10 N A T I O N A L N U R S E W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G A P R I L | M AY | J U N E 2 0 2 2 NEWS BRIEFS NATIONAL O n may 14, a white supremacist shot and killed 10 Black people at the Tops supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y. Ten days later, 19 elementary school children and two teachers were shot and killed in Texas. A week after that, a patient shot four people dead at a Tulsa, Okla. medical office before killing himself. After these horrors, nurses know that moral outrage is not enough. There must be accountability and action. The lack of strong gun control laws threatens public health. "Gun violence is a public health emer- gency," said National Nurses United President Jean Ross, RN. This year alone, there have been more than 200 mass shootings, follow- ing nearly 45,000 gun-violence deaths in the United States last year. Gun violence has become the leading cause of death for chil- dren and teens up to the age of 19. "These terrifying events in Buffalo and Uvalde must be a call to action," Ross con- tinued. "We cannot let politicians and lobbyists who have sanctioned gun violence by blocking common-sense reforms con- tinue to allow this devastation of our communities and nation. This is not about 'playing politics,' it is about saving lives." In the wake of these horrific shootings, NNU issued statements in response and supported the second, student-led March for Our Lives protests that took place on June 11 in Washington, D.C. and around the country, to demand meaningful action to end massive gun violence. NNU also called on legislators and chief executives in Wash- ington, D.C., and in state capitals to enact immediate and impactful gun control reforms, most especially a ban on assault rifles and the deadly ammunition used in these recent shootings. Here are excerpts from the statements, which can be read in full on nationalnursesunited.org. Nurses on the Buffalo massacre In the wake of the shooting in Buffalo, NNU pledged to work with elected officials and community organizations to hold account- able not just the perpetrators of white supremacist terrorism, but also those who inspire and encourage them. "We need to hold these online platforms and people accountable," said Edith Nesbitt, an ICU RN, nursing educator, and associate director of her union, NNU-VA, at the Buf- falo VA Hospital. "The nursing motto is, 'It's better to prevent than to treat.' After people have been killed, that damage is done, and you have destroyed more than just one life. These 10 people were pillars in our commu- nity and each touched and changed thousands of lives." Nesbitt said her wife is a teacher and that her entire family works in public service professions, and many are now afraid to go out in public, go to work, and send their children to school. "We dedicate our lives to taking care of people, regardless of who you are," said Nesbitt. "And now people want to kill us just because of the color of our skin? It's devastating." The Buffalo community is tight-knit, and her Buffalo VA colleague Nicole White shared deeply in Nesbitt's sorrow and anger. "I sit in pain with the African American community over the events of May 14," said White, who is a float pool RN, also a nurs- ing educator, and serves as NNU-VA Gun violence is a public health crisis Recent mass shootings show it's long past time for accountability and action

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