COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Colorado chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, issued the following statements after two people were found shot and killed in a dorm room at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs campus. According to early reports, officers found two deceased persons, each with at least one gunshot wound.
“Our hearts break for the family and loved ones of those affected and the entire student community of Colorado Springs,” said Deborah Griffin, a volunteer with the Colorado chapter of Moms Demand Action. “From championship parades and supermarkets to college campuses and dorms, it’s incomprehensible how our country remains stuck in a deadly cycle of gun violence. Our leaders must come together and work on common-sense policies that put a stop to the bloodshed and protect our communities from senseless acts of gun violence.”
“As we await further details, what is clear is that a gun should have never made it into a college dorm,” said Clara Taub, a volunteer leader with Students Demand Action at Denver East High School. “Our schools should be a place where we foster ideas, learn and thrive in community, not shelter in place. We will not stand idle until we are free from gun violence once and for all.”
In an average year, 930 people die and 466 are wounded by guns in Colorado. Guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in Colorado, and an average of 79 children and teens die by guns every year, of which 51% are suicides and 45% are homicides. More information about gun violence in Colorado is available here.