Everytown, Indiana Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Respond to Mass Shooting in Indianapolis

The Indiana chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following statements after a mass shooting in Indianapolis at a warehouse in which at least several people were wounded and eight were killed. Details are still developing.

“Our hearts are with all those in the community devastated by this tragic shooting,” said Cathy Weinmann, a volunteer with the Indiana chapter of Moms Demand Action in Indianapolis. “Eight people went into their place of work yesterday and had their lives stolen by gun violence, several more were wounded, and an entire community has been forever traumatized. We can’t accept that. Thoughts and prayers aren’t going to make it safe for us to go into work, it’s past time for our leaders to act and protect us from gun violence.”

“Indianapolis, and our entire country, are grieving today,” said Emily Cole, a volunteer with Students Demand Action in Indiana and Survivor Fellow with the Everytown Survivor Network. “This is another painful reminder of our nation’s urgent gun violence crisis. The time is now to save lives and end these senseless killings, we need action from our lawmakers.”

This shooting comes after a month of shootings across the United States including devastating mass shootings in Baltimore County, Md., Orange, Calif., Boulder, Colo.,Allen, Texas,Rock Hill, S.C., a series of shootings in massage parlors around metro Atlanta, and several police shootings, including that of Daunte Wright and Adam Toledo, as well as countless acts of senseless gun violence that don’t make the headlines. Indiana’s weak gun laws and the pandemic have exacerbated gun violence in the state over the last year, including a mass shooting in January, and another in March. Cities across the state, including Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and St. Joseph County, saw elevated numbers of homicides in 2020, many of which were gun homicides. 

Research by Everytown for Gun Safety shows that this is at least the 251st mass shooting since January 2009. Every day in the U.S. on average, more than 100 people are killed with guns, and more than 230 are wounded – the majority of which do not take place during mass shootings.

In an average year, 959 people die by gun violence in Indiana and 1,654 more are wounded. Gun violence costs Indiana $6.6 billion each year, of which $299.5 million is paid by taxpayers. More information about gun violence in Indiana is available here.