Miami Leaders Seek Reduction in Gun Violence
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David De Lossy/Thinkstock(MIAMI) — Police, religious leaders and community leaders in Miami, Fla., are calling on residents to not fire guns aimlessly into the air during the upcoming New Year’s celebration, or during any other holiday festivities for that matter.
A campaign called “No More Stray Bullets” was started five years ago after a 5-year-old boy was killed by a stray bullet during a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration.
The awareness campaign may be more poignant than ever in the wake of the killing of school children in Connecticut, but Miami Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones says gun violence is a part of everyday life for many children in Miami.
“Right here in our own neighborhood, right here in our backyard, kids are dying every single day,” she says.
The city is also offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who provides information about an illegal gun. Miami Police Chief Manny Orosa says some 600 weapons have been taken off the streets since 2008.
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