NEWTOWN, Conn. – Since July 1, nineteen people have been killed and 118 wounded in separate mass shootings across the United States, including Philadelphia, Fort Worth, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, where children as young as two were impacted by gun violence over Fourth of July weekend.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 354 mass shootings in 2023 where four or more were killed or injured, excluding the shooter. This Fourth of July weekend has officially rendered 2023 the deadliest year for mass shootings, with 354 mass shootings by July 5, 2023, vs. 340 by July 5, 2021, the United States’ previous most deadly year for gun violence.
In response, Nicole Hockley, co-founder and CEO of Sandy Hook Promise and mother of Dylan who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, issued the following statement:
“Our hearts break for every parent, child, and community that had loved ones killed at the hands of deadly firearms this weekend. At Sandy Hook Promise, we have spent the weekend in a state of grief and frustration as we followed reports on rising incidents of gun violence across the nation. Learning that the U.S. has experienced the highest number of mass shootings ever recorded by July 4 was a painful statistic to process. On a day meant to reflect on America’s independence, we are instead faced with the harsh truth that the U.S. independently leads the world in gun deaths and injuries.
“How many times do we need to mourn the untimely death of a child before action is taken to protect our families? Enacting expanded background checks, requiring secure storage of guns, and temporary transfer of firearms from those in crisis (aka Extreme Risk Protection Orders) – these are all simple policies that are proven to protect innocent lives.
“We must honor every victim by working to help end gun violence. We must use our voices to ensure that America stops accepting gun violence as an inevitability and, instead, enact policies and programs to prevent it.”
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The Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund (SHPAF) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization committed to protecting all children from gun violence in schools, homes, and communities. The SHP Action Fund advances a holistic policy platform that promotes gun safety, youth mental health, and violence prevention education. The organization works at the state and federal level to pass nonpartisan legislation through inclusive partnerships, diverse grassroots education, and community mobilization. It is part of Sandy Hook Promise, founded and led by several family members whose loved ones were killed in the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.
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