NEWTOWN, Conn. — On Friday, two teens were killed and two others were wounded in a shooting outside of the Benito Juarez Community Academy, in Chicago. According to the Gun Violence Archive, the U.S. is averaging nearly two mass shootings per day; more than 600 to date 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 are heavy for the families and friends of the victims of this latest mass shooting outside of Chicago’s Benito Juarez Community Academy as students were being dismissed from school. We wish the two survivors a full recovery. Yet again, our country mourns for lives lost to gun violence. The grief is accompanied by our collective fear for our own loved ones and ourselves. We worry that when we send our kids to school in the morning they won’t come home in the afternoon – and our children feel that same fear.
“We applaud and stand with the students at Benito Juarez Community Academy who staged a walkout yesterday to demand action on gun violence. We urge parents, educators and policymakers to listen to these students and their demand for immediate action to help address their fears.
“We are a nation traumatized by gun violence. Our national trauma and fear must embolden our resolve to take action to end this epidemic. We must reject the notion that gun violence is inevitable and speak the truth that gun violence is, in fact, preventable.
“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 the victims and survivors of gun violence in Chicago and throughout the U.S. to take action to save lives — so that no other families suffer the horrific pain of having a loved one taken by gun violence. We must demand that public officials take immediate action to help end gun violence now.”
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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