The Georgia chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, released the following statement in response to a shooting in Midtown Atlanta. While details are still emerging, initial reporting shows at least one person has been shot and killed and four others have been wounded. The scene is still active and those in the surrounding areas are being asked to shelter in place.
“Georgia lawmakers have created a reality for my generation where an act as simple as entering a building could be met with gunfire,” said Insherah Qazi, a volunteer with Students Demand Action in Georgia. “We shouldn’t have to live like this. Our lawmakers should remember that the next session is on the horizon and so are elections. We’ll continue to raise our voices at the state house and at the ballot box so future generations don’t have to grow up in a world plagued by gun violence as we have.”
“Georgians are witnessing in real time the fallout of the gun lobby’s ‘guns everywhere’ agenda as lives are lost and others are permanently altered in senseless and preventable tragedies,” said Page Rast, a volunteer with the Georgia chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We all have the right to feel safe going to work, in our daily routines, and in our communities — and we won’t stop fighting for common-sense gun safety until every Georgian is guaranteed it.”
In recent years, the Georgia State Legislature has been ceding to the gun lobby’s ”guns everywhere” agenda, by allowing guns to be carried nearly anywhere in the state — from the busy Atlanta airport to college campuses. Last session, Georgia repealed the requirement that a person gets a permit and passes a background check to carry a concealed handgun in public, despite 88 percent of Americans agreeing a permit should be required before carrying a concealed gun in public. These dangerous gun laws have and continue to make Georgians less safe. Gun violence costs Georgia $23.9 billion each year, of which $597.8 million is paid by taxpayers.
Georgia suffers from some of the weakest gun laws in the country and in an average year, 1,868 people die by guns in Georgia, and 4,321 more are wounded. With a rate of 17.4 deaths per 100,000 people, Georgia has the 17th-highest rate of gun deaths in the US. Guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in Georgia. To speak to a Georgia volunteer with Moms Demand Action, a volunteer with Students Demand Action, or a policy expert, please contact [email protected].
