Jayaraman Earns Gun Sense Candidate Distinction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : October 9, 2020

Jayaraman Earns Gun Sense Candidate Distinction

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America has awarded the 2020 Gun Sense Candidate distinction to Chander Jayaraman, a candidate for an at-large seat on the DC Council. It is the first year the group has awarded the distinction in a Council race.

Jayaraman advocates a stronger gun buyback program and wants to see churches and other community groups involved as a way to make it easier for people with illegal guns to give them up.

“Gun violence has taken too many lives in the District and shattered too many more,” Jayaraman said. “We need to address gun violence through multiple methods, including gun buybacks, violence interruption programs, mental health and trauma support, and job training and other programs that give young people an opportunity for economic independence.” Jayaraman previously headed the YouthBuild job training program at the Latin American Youth Center.

Jayaraman supports the DC Chapter of Moms Demand Action’s comprehensive plan, Vision Zero, which includes the following actions:

Establish a cross-agency Gun Violence Prevention Czar to coordinate all gun violence prevention, intervention, enforcement and response.

Expand successful violence interruption and other programs in the Office of Neighborhood Safety & Engagement and Cure the Streets.

Empower DC agencies to address hotspots quickly—for example, repair lighting and install security cameras at DC housing and rec centers.

Expand and improve trauma services, including better/faster medical care for gunshot victims in wards 7 and 8 and counseling services for people living with the trauma of daily gun violence.

Making DC safer for families is one of Chander’s top three priorities as a candidate for the DC Council. The others are a safe reopening of DC Public Schools as soon as possible, and supporting small businesses in recovering from the pandemic.

Jayaraman immigrated to the United States from India when he was 10 years old and has lived in DC for 25 years. He has served as an elected ANC Commissioner on Capitol Hill for eight years, four of those as Chair or Vice Chair. He is an emergency planner and small business owner, and umpires Little League games. He is married to Suzanne Jayaraman and they have a teenage son, Kol.