This past weekend, 10 people were killed and another 50 people were wounded in nine mass shootings across six states in the U.S. These latest incidents underscore the 2021 trend of being the deadliest year on-record, with more than 272 mass shootings in the first half of the year — nearly the average number of mass shootings annually since 2014. And adding in the rates of suicide by firearm, experts are projecting a dangerous and deadly summer like never before.
In response, Nicole Hockley, co-founder and managing director of Sandy Hook Promise and mother of Dylan, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy issued the following statement:
“The lives ripped away from us each and every day by gun violence are not just numbers: they represent families that will never be the same. Birthdays lost, graduations and weddings missed, and countless holidays marked by relentless pain. This endless stream of mass shootings should not be normal, especially when Congress has solutions right in front of them. When will enough people be murdered or wounded for our elected officials to finally address gun violence as the public health epidemic it is?”
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Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to end school shootings and create a culture change that prevents violence and other harmful acts that hurt children. Through its life-saving, evidence-informed Know the Signs prevention programs, SHP educates and empowers youth and adults to recognize, intervene, and get help for individuals who may be socially isolated and/or at risk of hurting themselves or others. Through nonpartisan policy and partnerships, SHP advances gun safety, youth mental health, and violence prevention education at the state and federal levels that protect all children from gun violence in their schools, homes, and communities. 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. Learn more at www.sandyhookpromise.org
Media Contact:
Aimee Thunberg, Senior Director, Communications, Sandy Hook Promise | [email protected] | 646-761-5579