OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statement in response to the shooting inside the Whiskey Barrel Saloon on Saturday night in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Reporting shows that three people were shot and killed and three more were shot and wounded.
“Going out with friends on Saturday night should not end in gun violence. Oklahoma lawmakers so proudly boast their ‘guns everywhere’ agenda, but refuse to acknowledge the fatal consequences,” said Beth Furnish, a volunteer with the Oklahoma chapter of Moms Demand Action. “The research is clear: states with strong gun laws see lower rates of gun violence. We will continue to demand more from our lawmakers so that going out with friends, to school, or the movies isn’t a matter of life or death.”
This shooting comes just one week after the mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, in which three children and three adults were shot and killed.
Oklahoma has the 13th highest rate of gun deaths in the United States and has some of the weakest gun laws in the country. Instead of further weakening the state’s gun laws, lawmakers should pass policies that will protect communities such as repealing its recently enacted permitless carry law, prohibiting domestic abusers from possessing firearms, and enacting an Extreme Risk law that would empower loved ones or law enforcement to intervene to temporarily prevent someone in crisis from accessing firearms.
In an average year, 766 people are killed by guns in Oklahoma, with a 31% increase from 2012 to 2021. Gun violence costs Oklahomans around $10.3 billion each year. More information about gun violence in Tennessee is available here.
If you are interested in speaking with an Oklahoma Moms Demand Action or Students Demand volunteer, or a policy expert please reach out to [email protected].