WASHINGTON – Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following statements from founder Shannon Watts and faith and outreach leader Lucy McBath in response to reports that an off-duty black police officer in St. Louis was shot by another officer while attempting to assist his colleagues during a shootout near his home.
STATEMENT FROM SHANNON WATTS, FOUNDER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:
“For the second time this week, Americans are reading news about a black gun owner who has been shot without apparent cause, and yet gun lobby leaders refuse to say even a single word about it. Their silence begs the question: Why won’t NRA leadership speak out when black gun owners are shot?
“As the gun lobby continues its refusal to discuss violence against black gun owners, it pushes an agenda of guns everywhere, for anyone, with no questions asked. Details are still emerging in the shooting of the St. Louis police officer by a colleague, but this much is clear: a year ago the gun lobby schemed to gut Missouri’s concealed carry requirements, allowing almost anyone to carry hidden, loaded handguns in public without ever undergoing a criminal history check or gun safety training. That’s a recipe for disaster.”
STATEMENT FROM LUCY MCBATH, FAITH AND OUTREACH LEADER FOR MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA, MOTHER OF SLAIN TEEN JORDAN DAVIS AND DAUGHTER OF FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE ILLINOIS BRANCH OF THE NAACP FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS:
“Twice this week, the shootings of black gun owners have made the news. In Missouri, a black off-duty police officer was reportedly shot after trying to assist his colleagues after a police car chase ended in a shootout near his home. It appears that one colleague saw him first as a threat and shot him. In Minnesota, we saw the not-guilty verdict in the shooting of Philando Castille. And yet, in these shootings of black gun owners, the NRA is silent. NRA leadership should be ashamed.”