Newtown Action Alliance Statement on the Apalachee High School Shooting in Winder, Georgia
For Immediate Release
September 5, 2024
Contact:
John Kelley
917-679-6475
jkelley@newtownaction.org
Newtown Action Alliance Statement on the Apalachee High School Shooting in Winder, Georgia
Newtown, CT - Po Murray, the Chairwoman of Newtown Action Alliance, released the following statement in response to yesterday’s tragic school shooting in Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia where a 14-year-old shooter used an AR15 to hunt and kill two students, two educators, and wound nine others.
“We send our love, support and prayers to the students, staff, first responders and the community members who have been impacted by the devastating school shooting yesterday in Winder, Georgia. We are heartbroken that the students and educators in Apalachee High School were killed, injured and terrorized
Republican members of Congress, Republican Governor Brian Kemp, and the Republican-led state legislature have failed the victims of yesterday’s shooting by prioritizing gun industry profits over the safety of children in our schools. Guns are now the leading cause of death for American children and teens, yet they refuse to pass common-sense gun laws.
According to the Washington Post’s school shooting database, Apalachee High School shooting was the 416th school shooting and 382,000 students have been impacted by school shootings since the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. For years, we have repeatedly warned other communities all across the nation that if it could happen in Newtown then it can happen anywhere. Americans should not be shocked when these mass shooting incidents occur in their communities.
It’s not shocking that the 14-year-old shooter chose an AR-15 and high capacity magazines to hunt, murder, and wound his classmates and educators. These weapons of war were glorified by Winder, Georgia House Representative Mike Collins and Governor George Kemp in their political campaign ads. Newtown Action Alliance, working closely with gun violence survivors, has led the fight to pass S25/HR698 to ban assault weapons and S173/HR660, Ethan’s Law to #KeepKidsSafe from unsecured guns. We successfully passed these crucial, lifesaving bills in the House of Representatives under the leadership of Speaker Nancy Pelosi during the last Congress, following the tragic shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Unfortunately, Senate Republicans blocked these bills from being included in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
The FBI’s National Threat Assessment Center, mental health services, and fortified school buildings are not enough to protect our kids from AR-15 shootings in schools when weapons of war are so easily accessible. The U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Targeted School Violence showed that 76% of school shooters get their guns from their homes or from their relatives. President Joe Biden has repeatedly signaled to Congress that he would sign the bills to ban assault weapons and require gun owners to safely secure their guns. It’s long past time for Congress to pass S25/HR698 and S173/HR660 and send them to the President’s desk for his signature. It’s also time for Governor Kemp to follow the lead from Connecticut after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and lead a bipartisan effort to pass a comprehensive package of gun safety laws to protect their youngest constituents in Georgia.
Any elected official who sends only thoughts and prayers, without following through with action after another devastating school shooting, should be voted out in 2024. We encourage voters to hold their local, state, and federal elected representatives accountable on November 5th. Our children will not be safe in schools or public spaces until we take meaningful action.
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was a step in the right direction, but it is not enough. Since the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012, over 1.2 million Americans have been killed or injured by guns, and mass shooting incidents have escalated. Americans are 25 times more likely to be killed by guns than people in other industrialized nations. Elected leaders at all levels of government must act urgently by passing a strong package of gun control measures to end the gun violence public health crisis in our nation.”
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Newtown Action Alliance (http://alliance.newtownaction.org/) is a Newtown-based, national grassroots organization formed after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings. Our mission is to achieve the steady and continuous reduction of gun violence through legislative and cultural changes.