The Minnesota chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statement after 6-year-old Aniya Allen was shot and wounded Monday night in Minneapolis. Allen is the granddaughter of K.G. Wilson, an anti-gun violence activist in Minneapolis. Gunfire from the same incident hit a man who was also wounded and in critical condition. Details are still developing.
“Our hearts are with Aniya’s family and all those impacted by this senseless act of violence,” said Jessica DeWeerth, a volunteer with the Minnesota chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Children should not have to live in fear of gun violence in their own neighborhood or anywhere. We need real action, not just placating words. Minnesota state and local leaders need to step up and take action that will actually keep our children and communities safe from the threat of gun violence.”
The Minnesota legislature ended their regular session yesterday without advancing meaningful gun violence prevention legislation or reaching reconciliation on a public safety omnibus with reforms to help prevent police violence.
Allen is at least the third child shot in as many weeks in Minneapolis after 10-year-old Ladavionne Garrett Jr. was shot while riding in a vehicle and Trinity Ottoson-Smith, 9, was shot in the head at a birthday party with friends in the yard of a Jordan neighborhood home.
Firearms are the second leading cause of death among children and teens in Minnesota. Black children and teens in Minnesota are twice as likely than their white peers to die by guns. In an average year, 442 people die and 680 people are wounded by guns in Minnesota. Gun violence costs Minnesota $2.9 billion each year, of which $83.3 million is paid by taxpayers.
Read more about the impact of gun violence on children and teens here. Additional information on gun violence in Minnesota is available here, and Everytown’s Gun Law Navigator — which shows how Minnesota’s gun laws compare to those of other states — is available here.
