John—

Ten years ago, a gunman murdered 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Their lives were taken in a senseless act of violence, and for the past decade our thoughts have been with the victims, families, and survivors of this tragedy.

Following Sandy Hook, the gun violence prevention movement worked tirelessly to honor the lives lost by taking action. Courageous advocates, lawmakers, and survivors across the country have fought to make our communities safer—and while progress at the federal level may have been slow, state progress has soared.

Many states have stepped up to protect their residents, passing more than 525 significant gun safety laws in the decade since Sandy Hook. 

Today we released a report about what state-level progress has looked like over the past 10 years. While gun violence has increased nationally since 2012, the correlation between gun safety laws and gun death rates has remained constant: states with stronger gun laws continue to experience less gun violence.

Following tragic mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, this summer the federal government passed the first major gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years. This is a tremendous step forward, but we can’t stop here.

Our communities deserve more. The young students killed in the Sandy Hook shooting—who should be in high school today, getting their driver’s licenses and going to prom—deserve more.