STATEMENTS: Members of Giffords Veterans Coalition Call on Nation’s Leaders to Act to Address Gun Violence Crisis After Latest Mass Shooting Devastates Texas Community

 So far in 2018 more students have died in American schools than service members in the military who are deployed  

May 23, 2018 — After the mass shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, last week the  Washington Post  reported that  we’ve witnessed the killing of more students in American schools than members of the military  who are deployed. In response, members of the  Giffords Veterans Coalition  are raising their voices to say the nation must do more to address it’s gun violence crisis.

Recently released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detail that in 2016 alone, more than 155,000 people were shot—almost 39,000 fatally. That’s 34,000 more gun violence victims than in 2015, and 40,000 more than in 2014. In fact, this new data shows that America’s gun death and injury rates rose for the second straight year in a row, after having remained relatively flat for more than a decade.

Members of Giffords Veteran Coalition:

Rear Admiral James Arden “Jamie” Barnett Jr., USN (Ret.)

Terron Sims II, USA (Ret.)

Giffords co-founder Captain Mark Kelly also spoke out on the alarming statistic regarding deployed service members. His comments are part of a new video that points out leaders at the National Rifle Association and their allies who only offer excuses after these tragedies.

The  Giffords Veteran Coalition  is a national network of America’s veterans who advocate for evidence-based changes to our laws that will make our communities safer from gun violence. In the wake of the Las Vegas massacre – the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history – members of the Giffords Veterans Coalition‚  sent a letter to Congressional leaders , called on Congress to demonstrate “statesmanlike leadership and moral courage across party lines” and vote in the interests of their constituents.

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