Newtown, CT — On Saturday, 28 people were shot in the largest mass shooting in Arkansas state history at a Hood-Nic (“neighborhood picnic”) Foundation event and community car show to raise funds to support Dumas-area youth programs. Six children, ranging in age from 19 months to 11 years old, were among those hit by bullets, and one 23-year-old man was killed.
This shooting was among the nine mass shootings this weekend alone, the deadliest weekend for gun violence in 2022 so far.
In response to the Dumas tragedy and the surge in violence over the weekend, 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:
“This weekend was yet another horrible reminder that we need to take more action to prevent the rising tide of gun violence across America.
“I mourn with the families of the eight people killed and more than 60 wounded in the further senseless acts of violence this weekend. Shootings at a car show organized by a youth services organization, the SXSW festival, and even at a 16th birthday party sadly prove that gun violence has no boundaries and impacts all of us. The physical wounds may heal, but the emotional scars last a lifetime. The pain and trauma of gun violence shakes us to our core, rippling throughout the community and beyond.
“We cannot allow mass shootings to be part of the return to ‘normal’ as the world opens up from pandemic limitations. Gun violence is never the solution to any problem and we all have the power to stop it. Know the warning signs of violence and get help if you or someone you know is exhibiting any of these warning signs before tragedy can occur.”
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About Sandy Hook Promise: 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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