GIFFORDS: Two Deadly Mass Shootings Bookend NRA Celebration

Washington DC  — Today, GIFFORDS, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, released a statement on the news of two mass shootings. Four were killed and dozens injured at a Sweet Sixteen birthday party in Dadeville, Alabama. Separately, two people were killed and four others were injured at a park in Louisville, Kentucky, less than a week after a shooting at a local bank in Louisville resulted in five deaths and eight injuries.

“People shouldn’t have to fear being shot when attending a Sweet Sixteen or spending a Saturday evening in the park. This cannot be the norm in this country. Our leaders must stand up and stop this violence. GIFFORDS stands with the communities of Dadeville and Louisville. We will not stop fighting to end the scourge of gun violence in the United States.”

“Two communities are reeling today after gunfire plunged an Alabama Sweet Sixteen party and a Louisville park into violence and chaos. The stories are gut-wrenching, but do not look away—we must all bear witness to the true cost of our broken gun laws. 

“A day after the NRA celebrated its control over Republican presidential contenders, gun crime is once again stealing innocent people’s lives and forever changing thousands more. 

“The American people are crying out for leaders to stop this, but too many politicians are perfectly content to allow the bloodshed to continue before grandstanding about being tough on crime after the fact.

“Don’t accept the tough talk cop-out. Violent gun crime will continue to shred our way of life until politicians decide to stop it. And the only way to stop it is to fix the laws that make it so easy for guns to fall into the wrong hands.”