NEW YORK. – Following reports today that Texas Governor Greg Abbott joked about shooting reporters while at a shooting range, Everytown for Gun Safety released the following statement from Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety:
STATEMENT FROM SHANNON WATTS, FOUNDER, MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:
“Governor Abbott’s so-called joke about shooting reporters is unacceptable, but it’s not surprising coming from one of the NRA leadership’s favorites. We have a President who boasted he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose supporters, and received $30 million dollars in campaign support from the gun lobby. What these politicians need to understand is that gun violence is no laughing matter – more than 90 Americans are shot and killed every day and hundreds more are injured. Joking about shooting anyone is unacceptable, and we must demand more from elected leaders who make our laws. Rather than flippant comments that could incite violence, they should talk to the victims of gun violence and their families who – along with the vast majority of Americans—support common-sense gun laws that will save lives.”