Texas Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Respond to Shooting of Merci Mack

Merci Mack is at Least the 13th Trans Person to be Shot and Killed Nationwide This Year, Everytown Research Shows 

DALLAS — The Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statements in response to the death of Merci Mack, a Black transgender woman shot and killed in Dallas Tuesday morning.

“Our hearts break for Merci’s family, friends, and all those who knew her,” said Chris Cortopassi, a volunteer with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Gun violence disproportionately impacts Black trans women, especially here in Texas, and we must do more to stop this epidemic.”

Marci Mack is at least the 13th trans person to be shot and killed this year. According to Everytown’s Transgender Homicide Tracker, more trans people have been killed in Texas than in any other state in recent years. Of the at least 13 victims reported in Texas since 2017, five were killed in Dallas. 

Between 2017 and 2019, at least 80 trans or gender non-conforming people were killed in the U.S., and three in four of these victims were killed with a gun, Everytown research shows. While just 16 percent of the trans population in the US is estimated to be Black, 79 percent of known trans homicide victims were Black.

Earlier in June, Everytown for Gun Safety, the Human Rights Campaign, Giffords Law Center, and Equality Florida released a new report on the impact of gun violence on the LGBTQ community.