JASPER, Texas. — The Texas chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statements in response to a mass shooting Saturday night at an after-prom party in Jasper, Texas. While details are still emerging, reporting shows at least nine teens were shot and wounded with non-life-threatening injuries. The investigation is still ongoing.
“A night every high school student looks forward to should not end in gunfire,” said Brynn Beecham, a Students Demand Action volunteer with the Texas chapter. “Thanks to Texas lawmakers, my generation cannot feel safe going to school, going home from sports practice, or going to prom. When are the lawmakers elected to protect us going to wake up and realize they are actively creating a world in which we aren’t safe? We deserve better and we will continue to demand it.”
“This is the devastating reality of being a parent in America: sending your kids to their prom and not knowing if they’ll come home,” said Michelle Herskowitz, a volunteer with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Our country is stuck in a seemingly endless cycle — tragedy strikes, communities are torn apart, lawmakers fail to act, and young people bear the burden. Guns are the number one killer of American children and teens — we refuse to accept that this is the best we get for our children.”
This shooting comes as Texas lawmakers will hear HB3, a bill to mandate an armed presence in schools and put more guns in schools – instead of common-sense policies to save lives. The one-year mark since the deadly Uvalde shooting, where 19 children and two adults were shot and killed is also a month away. These tragedies are preventable and Texas lawmakers are actively choosing to put their constituents in more danger. Texas can improve its gun laws by passing HB2744, a bill to raise the purchasing age for assault weapons from 18 to 21, requiring domestic abusers prohibited from possessing firearms to relinquish the firearms they own, and enacting an Extreme Risk law to empower loved ones or law enforcement to intervene in order to temporarily prevent someone in crisis from accessing firearms.
In an average year, 3,996 people die by guns in Texas, and 5,556 more are wounded. Guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in Texas. More information on gun violence in Texas is available here.
If you are interested in speaking with a Tennessee Moms Demand Action or Students Demand volunteer, or a policy expert please reach out to [email protected].
