This has been a hard week, John.
On Wednesday, a 14-year-old armed with an assault weapon shot and killed four people — two students and two teachers — and wounded nine others at Apalachee High School in Winder, GA. The incident was the deadliest school shooting in Georgia’s history.
Tragically, we’ve been here before.
Already in 2024, there has been an average of 1.5 mass shootings every day and this is the 45th school shooting of the year. It’s no wonder that 77% of parents are worried that their child’s school will become the site of the next mass shooting.
And all the while, Congress has failed to address what is at the root of almost all high-profile school shootings: assault weapons. These weapons of war are used time and again to kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible. In fact, in shootings where an assault weapon is used, 155% more people are shot and 47% more are killed. To make matters worse, the devastation at Apalachee High School comes twenty years after Congress let the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban expire.
We cannot wait another moment to ban these weapons of war, once and for all. We know it will save lives: During the 10-year period the federal assault weapons ban was in effect, mass shooting fatalities were 70% less likely to occur compared to the periods before and after the ban.
On behalf of those who lost their lives in Apalachee High School, for those who were injured, and for the entire Winder community, the time is NOW to demand Congress ban assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. Please join us by making your voice heard today.
