This is Day 2 in our 12 Days of Action . We are so glad to have you as an active member of our extended community. The ENOUGH Campaign is posting daily actions for you to make a difference in ending gun violence. ​
Today's Action: Foster Emotional Health; Educate Yourself & Others.
Today's highlighted action is mental health. Arguably mental health is an "action" that should be focused on daily for all of us, because mental health as an action item essentially means prevention- prevention of negative outcomes. Today's action is to think about what you can do to foster emotional health and to educate yourself (and others) about the relationship between our mental health and gun violence. 

As the CEO of the American Psychological Association said in 2014, "Given that most people with mental illness do not harm or threaten others, continuing to frame the conversation about gun violence solely in the context of mental illness does a disservice both to the victims of violence and those who suffer from mental illness. More important, it does not direct us to appropriate solutions." 
Today's Action: Encourage brain health research and cultivate compassion. Support organizations like The Avielle Foundation .

The Avielle Foundation , named for six year old Avielle Richman, fosters an understanding of what leads someone to engage in harmful behavior, the risk factors, and conversely to identify and engender protective factors that lead away from violence and toward compassion, kindness, connection, community, and resilience. The Foundation supports brain health research, public health, community engagement, and education in hopes of preventing violence and building compassion. Her parents, both scientists, started this organization to support research into brain health. You can support the work of The Avielle Foundation by visiting their website and listening to this interview aired this week:

Today's Day of Action is dedicated to the memory of Avielle, and to all children who have been murdered as a result of violence.
Continue your Day of Action, read these articles, and pass them on.

This article illustrates the complexities that warrant our attention:

The American Psychological Association has dedicated working groups to address gun violence prevention in recent years. Here are some important pieces:

American Psychological Association

Finally, it is essential to consider the mental health consequences of gun violence. This article illustrates these challenges:

A special thanks to our guest editor for today's action, Marni Amsellem, PhD. licensed psychologist.
Take Action
Sign up here to be a part of the 12 Days of Action event and get 12 alerts daily, starting 12/14 and ending 12/25. The action alerts will also be posted on facebook.com/TheEnoughCampaign and on Twitter @EnoughCampaign1 .
The mission of The ENOUGH Campaign is to protect our families and our country as we advocate for more public awareness on the issues of gun violence prevention in America. Through legislative advocacy and community education, we champion stronger gun laws and aim to transform public perceptions of gun safety.
The ENOUGH Campaign
The ENOUGH Campaign is a proud member of the Newtown Action Alliance