Made in America
Gun violence is uniquely American.
90% of all firearm deaths among children that occur in industrialized nations occur in the USA. The USA has more privately owned firearms – not including military firearms – than citizens.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, in the USA:
Every day 21 children are shot.
Every year 7,782 children are shot. 1,488 children die.
Every day 310 people are shot. Every day 100 people are killed with guns.
Every year 113,108 people are shot. 36,383 die.
In 2019, there were 391 mass shootings.
Every year, approximately 3 million American children witness gun violence. 4.6 million American children live in homes where guns are unlocked and loaded.
The installation:
21 silhouettes of children are printed on official NRA Junior Target practices to create a wall display. A participatory installation was created with two daily calendars - 2019 and 2020. Each year has the same images 365 times. Viewers had "homework" and were encouraged to take a calendar page with them. On the back of the calendar pages are gun violence statistics, info links and instructions about how they could advocate for gun control reform.
What can we do? Hold our elected officials accountable. Advocate for common-sense gun reform to reduce gun violence (see below). If 5 year old children are expected to go through shooting drills at school, then gun owners can be expected to accept stricter gun regulations. We and generations to come, deserve safer communities.
How Have Your Members Of Congress Voted On Gun Bills?
The link below allows you to see how your state's representatives and senators have voted on major gun legislation over the past two-and-a-half decades.
https://www.npr.org/2018/02/19/566731477/chart-how-have-your-members-of-congress-voted-on-gun-bills
You can use this link to find who represents you in the Senate.
https://www.senate.gov/senators/index.htm
You can use this link to find who represents you in Congress.
https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
Thoughts and Prayers from the 800 pound Gorilla, 2018
installation & performance
All images are copyrighted © by MyLoan Dinh. The use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission from the artist is obtained.