The Kentucky 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 at a school bus stop in Louisville, Kentucky this morning. According to reports, a 16-year-old boy was shot and killed and two 14-year-olds, a boy and a girl, were wounded while waiting at a school bus stop in the early morning of September 22. Police say a car drove by and opened fire toward the group of students waiting at the stop.
“This horrific shooting further underscores the devastation that our gun violence crisis is having on Kentucky students,” said Emma Vonder Haar, a Kentucky Students Demand Action volunteer in Louisville. “Kids deserve better than to grow up in constant fear of gun violence — everywhere they go. As the school year kicks into gear, it is crucial that policymakers at all levels take action on common-sense policies that are proven to keep Kentucky’s students and communities safe.”
In an average year in Kentucky, 728 people die by guns, including 61 children and teens, and 1,036 people are wounded. Gun violence costs Kentucky $4.9 billion each year, of which $181.1 million is paid by taxpayers. More information on gun violence in Kentucky can be found here.
