Safe Horizon is deeply saddened by yet another devastating incident of mass gun violence. The shooting on November 5th in Sutherland Springs, Texas killed at least 26 people and injured many others, making it one of the most deadly attacks in recent history.
We hope that all those affected, especially the victims and their loved ones, are getting the support they need during this incredibly difficult time. We send our heartfelt condolences to anyone who lost a loved one.
In response to this horrifying attack, Safe Horizon CEO Ariel Zwang offers the following statement:
“Thoughts and prayers alone aren’t enough. It’s time for action. This national crisis must be addressed now.”
The latest media reports show that the gunman had recently sent threatening texts to his mother-in-law, who attends the church where the shooting took place. Available research shows us that most mass shootings involve domestic and family violence—between 2009 and 2016, more than half of all mass shootings in the U.S.A. targeted a current or former intimate partner or family member.
Under the Lautenberg amendment, the gunman’s prior conviction of a ‘bad conduct discharge’ from the military for an assault against his spouse and a child should have barred him from legally purchasing firearms. On Monday, the Air Force said that it failed to record the shooter’s domestic violence conviction in a federal database that would have kept him from buying a gun.
CEO Zwang continues: “He should never have had access to a gun. It’s time to not only strengthen our gun laws, but to also make sure they are enforced as written. Far too many lives have been lost as a result of mass shootings. Each victim leaves behind loved ones who will never be the same. Congress can no longer wait to act. Safe Horizon calls on our federal lawmakers to enact meaningful and common sense solutions to this epidemic of gun violence now.”