Purpose

The ultimate goal of the ANTI-VIOLENCE CAMPAIGN FOR PEACE is to create a healthier, violence-free society and peaceful world for future generations in the truest sense.

Short term:
  • Eliminate unnecessary deaths and injuries to young people shot by police or gangs mistaking toy guns for real guns.
  • Reduce the number of felonies committed by toy guns.
  • Reduce the likelihood that children will confuse their parents’ real guns for toy guns.
  • Increase the children's creativity, self-worth, and positively by making art pieces of collected destructive toys- all with an anti-violence/peace messages.
  • Reduce medical costs; costs to police departments, schools, and airports for the settlement of cases.
Long Term:
  • Sensitizing children and youth to the hazards of real and toy guns, dangerous playthings and violence by influencing their learned response, at an early age, in order to create a new violence-free generation and a violence free world.

Statement of Purpose

Problem:
  • Violence is a social evil of epidemic proportions; it is becoming the #1 public health problem. Violence, especially gun violence, is killing more children than many diseases combined. Violence is the most important issue facing our children and youth today in the U.S., and the target age group for violence is getting younger every day.
  • The U.S. ranks lower than many other industrialized nations in terms of infant mortality, the number of uninsured, homicide, and gun violence. Some statistics to support this are cited below.
  • The U. S. A. has the highest gun related death rate among children and youth in comparison with 25 industrialized countries; 16 times more than all these 25 countries combined. (Center for Disease Control, Feb. 7, 1997)
  • In America, in just two days, more people die by handguns than in one year in Canada, Great Britain, Sweden, Australia and Japan combined. (Center to Prevent Handgun Violence)
  • Homicide rates (per 100,000 pop.) in the U.S., for males age 15 to 24 for 1992 are 37.3, the next highest rate is only 4.3 in Italy, followed by Israel 3.7, Ireland 1.8, Germany 1.1, France 0.9, England & Wales 0.6, and Japan 0.5. (CDC Report, Jan. 1995 from WHO & NCHS)
  • During the 8 years of the Vietnam War, 58,000 American soldiers were killed. More people die by guns in the U.S. every 2 years.
  • Every 20 minutes an American is shot to death.
  • In the U.S. between 1984 and 1994, juvenile arrests for gun homicides quadrupled, and murders of children using guns tripled. Gun violence is the leading killer of children under 20 in the United States. In 1993 alone, (the most recent year for which complete data is available), 5,751 children were killed by firearms; 64% of these deaths were homicides, and over 25% of these deaths were suicides. Guns are used in two out of three youth suicide attempts, causing death or permanent disability far more often than other methods. Unintentional shootings killed 526 children in 1993, more than ten children every week. Every hour and a half, another child in this country is killed by gunfire. (Children's Defense Fund Annual Report, 1997)
  • California, of all 50 states, has the highest rate of firearm deaths among children. California has the highest number of homicides and suicides killing children, and ranked second in accidental gun deaths. (Children's Defense Fund Statistics Report, 1993).
  • Los Angeles is greatly impacted by this alarming epidemic. In 1991, 66% of all youth homicides were gun related. (Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Report, 1992)
  • Possession of a weapon is the number one reason for expulsion referrals in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Between 1993 and 1996, 1287 students were expelled for bringing a gun or knife to school. (LAUSD reports, 1994 & 1996).