SISTER BAY (NBC 26) — Since January 1st of this year, there have been 367 mass shootings in the United States.
This number is according to the gun violence archive. The F.B.I. defines a mass shooting as an event in which one or more individuals are, "actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area."
Groups like Northern Door Activism are taking steps to bring awareness to these grim statistics by hosting an event for the community to talk about gun violence prevention.
"We’re here today because gun violence feels really big and powerful to stop, but if we can create awareness there are things we can do at a local level," said Sarah White, co-founder of Northern Door Activism group.
Northern Door Activism group members facilitated conversations about the reality of gun violence and ways the community can connect to reduce these risks.
Some community members who attended the event have felt the effects of gun violence themselves, either through personal experiences or the experiences of others.
"Gun violence not only affected my new student horribly but the residual effect on the learning of every other child was a really sad thing," said Trudy Cox.
Trudy cox, a kindergarten teacher, had a student that experienced gun violence. She attended the event to try and encourage community members to have these hard conversations.
"I came here today because we live in Door County, and Door County is a very special bubble, but we're fooling ourselves if we don't think gun violence can affect us here too."
People who took part in this event collectively created 1,041 orange pinwheels for a collaborative art display. They represent the number of children that have lost their lives in the first half of this year to gun violence.
This visual art project will be installed off Highway 52 in Sister Bay where it will be highly visible.
"People will drive by and hopefully take notice and be curious about, yeah, how does this affect me or my children or my friends or family? And what can I do about it?" said White.
The Northern Door Activism group hopes this promotes community action for more gun safety and risk reduction.
"People coming together like this really shows that we can come together, and we can make things happen," said Emma Cox, co-founder of Northern Door Activism group.
