The Massachusetts chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both grassroots networks of Everytown for Gun Safety, released a statement today in response to a shooting in a neighborhood of Winthrop, Massachusetts, on the afternoon of June 26. Reports indicate that two people were shot and killed by the shooter, before the shooter was shot and killed by police. Local authorities say they have “already unearthed troubling white supremacy rhetoric and statements written by the shooter,” including writings about the superiority of the white race and drawings of swastikas. The victims, Ramona Cooper, a staff sergeant in the Air Force, and David L. Green, a retired police trooper, were both Black. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime.
“Time and time again, access to firearms and white supremacist ideology prove to be a deadly combination,” said Rina Schneur, a volunteer with the Massachusetts chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Our hearts are with Ramona’s and David’s families and loved ones after this tragic shooting as we continue to reject white supremacy and fight to ensure that Massachusetts communities are protected from this sort of bigotry and violence.”
Black Americans are disproportionately impacted by gun violence. In Massachusetts, Black people are 15 times more likely than white people to die by gun homicide, compared to 10 times nationwide. In the U.S., nearly half of race-based hate crimes target Black people.
For years, the gun lobby has both opposed common-sense gun laws, enabling white supremacists across the country to gain access to firearms, and amplified extreme-right politics and viewpoints to new and broader audiences. Read more about Everytown’s work on armed extremism here.