NEWTOWN, Conn. – Two people were killed and 28 injured – including 15 young people – in a mass shooting at a block party in Baltimore, MD. According to the Gun Violence Archive, this is the 340th mass shooting this year where four or more were killed or injured, excluding the shooter.
In response, Mark Barden, co-founder and CEO of the Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund and father of Daniel who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, issued the following statement:
“Our hearts go out to the Baltimore victims’ and survivors’ families who will be forever changed by this senseless act of violence. We feel your heartbreak, your anger, and your grief – and we promise to keep fighting on your behalf to put an end to gun violence, so no parent ever feels the weight of this loss again.
“Tomorrow, on July 4th, instead of celebrating Independence Day with family and friends, too many Americans will spend the day mourning loved ones and questioning why this keeps happening.
“In a nation that prides itself as the ‘land of the free and home of the brave,’ we are neither free from gun violence nor are enough of our lawmakers brave enough to tackle ending the epidemic by passing simple, sensible gun policy. All of us – in every community across the nation – must call for action now.
“Every day we wait for policy action is another young life taken, another parent in mourning, another community irrevocably scarred. Evidence-based research shows that simple policies like background checks for all gun sales, secure storage, and temporary transfer orders are proven to save lives and are remedies legislators can and must pass now.
“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.
Media Contact:
Aimee Thunberg | [email protected] | 646-761-5579