Forgotten Survivors of Gun Violence
The toll of America’s gun violence epidemic is usually measured in lives lost—more than 35,000 each year. Ignored, almost completely, are the many more people who are shot every year, and survive.
Shot and Forgotten, The Trace
Nearly 40,000 people die from gun violence in the US every year. This uniquely American crisis leaves no community untouched—but it doesn’t have to be this way.
Gabrielle Giffords
The Forgotten Survivors of Gun Violence collects 20 personal essays of survivors’ visible and invisible wounds from school shootings, attempted suicide by firearm, mass shootings, gang violence, and domestic violence. Their stories remind us that these traumatic experiences are not exclusive to combat soldiers but, more notably, suffered by ordinary people during modern life. With this collection, editors Loren Kleinman, Shavaun Scott, Sandy Phillips and Lonnie Phillips expose the true lifecycle of a bullet and the trauma left in its wake. Through personal narratives and select personal photos, the wounded tell a story that’s forgotten when the cameras go away. This collection will be of interest to first responders, officers, therapists, medical practitioners, and educators.
Loren Kleinman's coverage of gun violence appeared in the Independent, New York Magazine (The Cut), The Rumpus, The New York Daily News, and more. She is the co-editor of If I Don’t Make It: I Love You: Survivors in the Aftermath of School Shootings (2019). She is the editor of the anthology Indie Authors Naked and the co-edited collection with Amye Archer My Body, My Words, which Bustle named one of the “11 New Feminist Books That Could Totally Change Your Year.” Her short film, Suffering Is the Easy Part, directed and produced by Jaime Ekkens, is distributed by Seed&Spark and Docademia.
Shavaun Scott has been a psychotherapist and writer since 1991 and has worked with thousands of clients who have been victims or perpetrators of violence. She is particularly interested in trauma recovery and violence prevention and enjoys sharing stories of uncommon bravery and unconventional paths. She practices in both Oregon and California.
Sandy Phillips and Lonnie Phillips founded the organization Survivors Empowered after the slaughter of their daughter, Jessica Redfield Ghawi, and 11 others in the Aurora Colorado Theater Mass Shooting in 2012. Their original non-profit, Jessi’s Message, has grown into Survivors Empowered—a national organization created By Survivors, For Survivors, Empowering Survivors. Sandy and Lonnie’s story appeared in the documentary Under The Gun by Katie Couric and was featured in Lisa Ling’s This is Life on CNN. They’ve also been highlighted by media such as This American Life, Anderson Cooper, 60 Minutes, and more.