Groups work to prevent gun violence as Tampa shootings nearly doubled in 2022

TAMPA, Fla. - Groups that work to prevent gun violence are working to increase awareness of how it impacts our entire community during the month of June, which is Gun Violence Awareness month.

"Gun violence affects us all. It doesn't matter what party you belong to. It doesn't matter what your beliefs are. It doesn't matter what policies you feel are important," said Freddy Barton, the executive director for Safe & Sound Hillsborough. "No parent wants to bury their child."

Numbers from Safe & Sound Hillsborough show that more than 300 shootings happened in the Tampa Bay area in 2022.

"We had over 300 shootings fatal and non-fatal," Barton said. "Those numbers almost double the numbers we had the year before. And in 2023, we're already on track to beat the numbers from the previous year."

That’s one reason they produced the short film "Blink" to tackle gun violence in our communities. It shows children the consequences of their actions and ways to choose a better path.

"There's another way to deal with things in our life. And it doesn't have to always resort to gun violence," Barton said.

This weekend they will join groups like Moms Demand Action wearing orange to remember those lost to gun violence.

"Wear Orange really, truly is an awareness campaign, and it's a time to bring the community together and to talk about, you know, solutions to moving forward," Nicole Wass of Hillsborough/Pasco Moms Demand Action said.

Wear Orange Tampa is Saturday, June 3 at 6:30 p.m. at Curtis Hixon Park in downtown Tampa.