‘This cannot become normal.’ Yankees, Rays devote social media to gun violence awareness
The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays devoted their social media channels to facts about gun violence in America during their game Thursday evening.
Both teams issued statements decrying the prevalence of gun violence across the country in the wake of the massacre in Uvalde that left 21 dead, including 19 elementary school kids on Tuesday.
“In lieu of game coverage and in collaboration with the Tampa Bay Rays, we will be using our social media channels to offer facts about the impacts of gun violence,” the Yankees said in their statement. “The devastating events in that have taken place in Uvalde, Buffalo, and countless other communities across our nation are tragedies that are intolerable.”
The Rays posted a similar message and announced the organization has committed $50,000 to Everytown.org’s Gun Safety Support Fund. Everytown.org is the largest gun violence prevention organizations in the country.
“We all deserve to be safe — in schools, grocery stores, places of worship, our neighborhoods, houses and America,” the Rays posted in a pinned message on Twitter. “The most recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde have shaken us to the core. The Tampa Bay Rays are mourning these heartbreaking tragedies that took the lives of innocent children and adults. This cannot become normal. We cannot become numb. We cannot look the other way. We all know, if nothing changes, nothing changes.”
On May 17, a gunman murdered 10 people at a Buffalo, N.Y. supermarket.
“We understand that no single organization can solve this crisis alone, but working together, we can make an impact,” the Rays added in their statement posted on social media sites. “We invite you to join us and do what you can, when you can, where you can — because our lives depend on it.”
The teams shared gun violence statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention early during their game Thursday evening. Among them:
- Firearms were the leading cause of death for American children and teens in 2020.
- Every day, more than 110 Americans are killed with guns, and more than 200 are shot and injured.
This story was originally published May 26, 2022 at 6:39 PM.
