By Xochitl Oseguera

Shifting the Narrative, Saving Lives: Inside the 2nd Annual Latine Gun Violence Prevention Convening

Earlier this month, May 4–6, 2026, a powerful energy took center stage in Berkeley, California. MomsRising—alongside our bilingual arm, MamásConPoder—proudly joined forces with Community Justice and the Hope and Heal Fund at The Latinx Research Center to convene the 2nd Annual Latine Convening on Gun Violence Prevention.

Building on the momentum of our first convening and our historic 2024 White House roundtable, we brought together more than 40 national and state Latine leaders. Our delegation included policy experts, frontline community violence intervention (CVI) practitioners, researchers, and grassroots organizers from every corner of the country. We gathered not just to talk about trends, but to align our strategies, heal together, and demand a seat at the policy table where our communities have historically been absent.

2nd Annual Latine GVP

The Stakes: A Crisis Hidden in Plain Sight

The data shared by researchers during the event was eye-opening and deeply moving, reinforcing exactly why our voices must be amplified and heard. The gun violence epidemic hits the Latine community with disproportionate, accelerating force:

• Exploding Growth: Between 2015 and 2024, gun deaths among the Latine community rose by 61%—nearly three times the national increase.

• A Crisis for Our Youth: Gun violence is now the leading cause of death for young Latino males ages 15 to 19.

• The Silent Epidemic: The firearm suicide rate for young Latinas (ages 15–24) spiked by a shocking 31% between 2020 and 2024, compared to a 7% national increase for females in that age bracket.

Whether it is gun homicides, police violence, intimate partner violence, or hate-fueled mass shootings like those in Uvalde and El Paso, our families are operating under a state of persistent, unaddressed trauma. Compounding this, our communities face deep systemic barriers—from a lack of language access and underfunded grassroots infrastructure to aggressive immigration enforcement that terrifies vulnerable families into hiding rather than seeking safety resources.

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Shifting the Narrative to "Freedom From Gun Violence"

For too long, the white-dominated gun violence prevention movement has focused strictly on policy statistics and narrow solutions. Meanwhile, gun rights extremists use a values-based language of "individual rights" to push a dangerous, agenda that has scapegoated communities of color in order to sell more gunsAt MomsRising, we are resetting the terms of engagement. We are pivoting the national conversation away from purely defensive policy battles and toward a powerful counter-narrative: Freedom From Gun Violence.

True freedom means being able to send your children to school, walk through your neighborhood, go shopping, or cast a ballot without the constant fear of getting shot. Gun violence is actively eroding our civil rights. By framing public safety through the lens of fundamental human freedoms, we are opening doors for intersectional movements—civil rights, voting rights, reproductive justice, and immigrant rights allies—to join us in a unified front.

2nd Annual Latine GVP- Xochitl

The Movement Is in Motion

This convening was heavy, difficult, and beautiful—but above all, it signaled the beginning of a massive, incredibly sophisticated movement led by the Latine community.

A huge, heartfelt shoutout to everyone who traveled, shared their lived expertise, and stood in solidarity. Together, we are building a sustainable, nationwide coalition to ensure our children can grow up in safety, freedom, and radical peace.

The space we are occupying belongs to our communities, and we are not leaving it. Join us. ¡La lucha sigue!