INDIANOLA, Miss. — The Mississippi chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statement in response to reports of an 11-year-old boy who was shot and wounded by police as they were responding to a domestic disturbance call at the child’s home early Saturday morning. Reports show that Aderrien Murry was shot in the chest by an Indianola Police Department officer who was responding to Aderrian’s 911 call. He is currently in recovery.
“We teach our kids to call for help, yet how can we feel safe when that can end in gunfire?” said Paul Winifield, a volunteer with the Mississippi chapter of Students Demand Action. “We will continue to show up and ensure our lawmakers pass common sense gun safety legislation, including policies to prevent police violence, because we do not deserve to live in fear in our homes, or anywhere.”
Mississippi comes in at 50th for gun law strength in the United States, the weakest in the entire country. Mississippi is also missing key laws to reduce gun violence by police. Instead of further weakening the state’s gun laws, lawmakers should pass policies that will protect communities, including by barring the use of deadly force by police unless necessary to prevent serious injury or death and requiring law enforcement agencies to collect and report data on police use of force.
In an average year, 793 people are killed by guns in Mississippi, with an 85% increase from 2012 to 2021, compared to a 39% increase nationwide. Gun violence costs Mississippi around $9.9 billion each year. More information about gun violence in Mississippi is available here.
If you are interested in speaking with a Mississippi Moms Demand Action or Students Demand volunteer, or a policy expert please reach out to [email protected].