We must do more to support the victims of gun violence

It could never happen here — until it did. The mass shooting Jan. 23 of seven people in Half Moon Bay by a sole gunman seemed almost surreal. Many of us were frozen in disbelief, stunned by the carnage that took place and pained by the loss of so many innocent lives.

As many of you know, I am a victim of gun violence. It never leaves you. The physical scars are permanent as are the mental and emotional ones. For many survivors, post-traumatic stress disorder prevents them from functioning. The research is profound — nine out of 10 survivors report experiencing trauma, according to a national survey conducted by the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund. But fewer than half said they had access to the support they needed to cope with it.

While the human costs of gun violence are devastating, the economic consequences are also significant. Everytown calculates that the cost to our nation is $557 billion annually, including costs for police investigations, medical treatment for physical and mental health care, earnings lost to disability or death and criminal justice costs.

There have been more than 200 mass shootings across this country already this year. Think about it — more mass shootings than the number of days so far this year. Guns have become the leading cause of death among children and teens. It is the most acute and most deadly public health crisis of our time.

So, what can we do about it? How do we translate this horror into a common good? We can start by caring for the seven families who lost their loved ones in the Half Moon Bay mass shooting. In most cases, the deceased was the breadwinner for the family.

Let's support the Coastside Victims Fund. It's the only effort where 100% of the donations go to the victims or their families. Like other victim compensation funds that have been created, the CVF is modeled after best practices and the work of Ken Feinberg, special master of the U.S. government's Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund. I have worked closely with him over the years.

Policy changes are important, too. I have devoted 40 years of my career working at every level of government for stronger gun violence prevention laws, such as requiring background checks for all gun purchases, preventing weapons of war from getting onto our streets and lifting the ban on gun violence research. I hosted and funded numerous gun buyback efforts as well.

We can be proud that California is a state with some of the strongest gun violence prevention laws on the books and that the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors has taken many notable actions to reduce gun violence in our communities. But there is still more to do in the Bay Area, California and the nation.

Today, National Gun Violence Awareness Day, let's not look away. Let's look ahead and honor those whose lives have been taken or forever altered by taking the necessary actions to end gun violence.

It happened here. Let's do something about it.