According to bradyunited.org, gun violence effects the American economy and cost at least $229 billion yearly. Everytownresearch.org places that cost at $557 billion a year. This comes in the form of lower housing values, admissions to hospitals, emergency room visits, lost wages for the employer and employee, criminal justice cost (paying public defenders, police costs, incarceration, court staffs) and more. The costs to tax payers and companies takes money away from education, social services and community development. Breakdown of costs in gun violence from Everytown Research: $2.8 billion in medical costs $52.8 billion in work-loss costs $11.0 billion in police and criminal justice costs $0.5 billion employer costs $489.1 billion in quality-of-life costs Trauma is evident in many communities. Students skip school for fear of being shot. Sometimes a child or person will sleep in a tub to avoid bullets. Due to the stress of gun violence mothers’ babies have lower birth weight. In an era when Congress debates deficit control, we appear unmoved by the social and economic costs of gun violence. We are not talking about taking away Second Amendment Rights. We are talking about the safety of our streets, lowering our taxes, saving lives, educating the next generation.