We need more than thoughts and prayers from our lawmakers in response to these tragedies

Dear Loveland Area Residents,

we’re still learning the details of the deadly mass shooting at the FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana. Eight people were shot and killed, and several others were wounded. We mourn for the victims and the survivors, and our hearts are with their loved ones and all those impacted by yet another mass shooting in the U.S.

In the last several weeks, our country has witnessed multiple acts of gun violence. In Chicago, a police officer shot and killed 13-year-old Adam Toledo. In Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, a police officer shot and killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright. In Charlotte, North Carolina, two trans women were shot and killed in hotel rooms. In Knoxville, Tennessee, multiple students from Austin-East High School have been fatally shot in recent weeks. And in mass shootings in Boulder, Colorado; Baltimore County, Maryland; Orange, California; Allen, Texas; Rock Hill, South Carolina; and Atlanta, Georgia, multiple people were shot and killed in each location.

In addition to each of these tragic shootings, so many others occur and never make headlines. The tragedy in Indianapolis is at least the 251st mass shooting since January 2009.¹ And every day in the U.S. on average, more than 100 people are killed with guns, and more than 230 are wounded—the majority of which do not take place during mass shootings.

We need more than thoughts and prayers from our lawmakers in response to these tragedies. We don’t have to live like this. Take action today to help end America’s gun violence crisis.

The U.S. Senate needs to listen to the will of the American public and pass background check legislation now; it would be their first major gun safety law in 25 years. And at every level of government, lawmakers must prioritize gun safety and work to end gun violence in all of its forms. In the last year, Indiana’s weak gun laws and the pandemic have exacerbated gun violence, with multiple cities—including Indianapolis—seeing elevated numbers of gun homicides in 2020.

The news of the mass shooting in Indianapolis comes at a time when we’re already thinking about the history of gun violence in America: Today marks 14 years since the mass shooting at Virginia Tech, which left 32 people shot and killed, and 17 others wounded. For all of the victims and survivors of gun violence across the country, we must honor their lives with action.

Thank you for being a part of this movement, and thank you for everything you do to help end our country’s gun violence crisis.

Sincerely,

Everytown and Moms Demand Action