Gun violence is a top voting issue for Latinos and Latinas this election cycle.
In fact, Latines across the country have widely supported gun safety initiatives for several election cycles now — likely because the community is disproportionately impacted by the dangers of guns. The Center for American Progress found that Hispanics are twice as likely to die from gun violence than their white counterparts. The U.S. Surgeon General also declared gun violence a public health crisis for the first time ever this year.
“Latino voters believe that guns are too easy to access and they want elected officials to put an end to school shootings and expand community safety and mental health programs,” Clarissa Martinez De Castro, Vice President of the Latino Vote Initiative at UnidosUS, told Latino USA. “This really raises the need for candidates and parties to pay greater attention to this issue.”
