NEWTOWN, Conn. — Last night, 14 people, including three children under age 13, were injured in a mass shooting in Chicago’s East Garfield Park. This shooting comes in what is becoming the deadliest year for mass shootings on record. According to the Gun Violence Archive, the U.S. is averaging nearly two mass shootings per day: more than 500 so far this year.
In response to the latest tragedy, 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 the victims of the Halloween mass shooting in Chicago. We wish them all a full recovery. While no lives were taken last night, those who gathered in East Garfield Park, whether for a vigil or to celebrate Halloween, now must live with the trauma of gun violence. That trauma is part of our collective fear, as a nation, for our own loved ones and ourselves. We fear that when we send our kids to school in the morning they won’t come home in the afternoon. We fear that as we live our everyday lives — attending religious services, shopping for groceries or taking our kids out to trick-or-treat — we will fall victim to the American gun violence epidemic.
“Our national trauma and fear must embolden us and inspire our resolve to take action to end this epidemic. We must reject the notion that gun violence is inevitable because gun violence is, in fact, preventable. The antidote to this national epidemic is at our fingertips.
“Undisputed research proves that gun violence is preventable when we know the warning signs and take action to get help. Simple policy actions like background checks for all gun sales, safe storage, magazine limits for firearms, and extreme risk protection orders are proven to save lives and are remedies legislators should pass now.
“We owe it to all of the victims and survivors of gun violence in the U.S. to take action to save lives — so that neighbors can gather in a park without fear of bloodshed, so our children can celebrate Halloween without being gunned down. We must demand that public officials take immediate action to help end gun violence.”
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Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) envisions a future where all children are free from school shootings and other acts of violence. As a national nonprofit organization, SHP’s mission is to educate and empower youth and adults to prevent violence in schools, homes, and communities. Creators of the life-saving, evidence-informed “Know the Signs” prevention programs, SHP teaches the warning signs of someone who may be in crisis, socially isolated, or at-risk of hurting themselves or others and how to get help. SHP also advances school safety, youth mental health, and responsible gun ownership at the state and federal levels through nonpartisan policy and partnerships. SHP is 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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Aimee Thunberg | [email protected] | 646-761-5579