Brady Campaign Mourns Norway's Shooting Victims And Our Own
Jul 25, 2011
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Dennis Henigan, Acting President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, released the following statement today in response to the bombing and shooting massacre in Norway and the weekend series of mass shootings in the United States.
"The Brady Campaign joins the world in mourning the horrific loss of life in the Norway terrorist attacks. The staggering toll of young lives taken by a gunman at the Utoya youth camp reminds us all, once again, that guns are the enablers of mass killers.
There are some in America who will use this shooting to assert that Norway's strong gun laws don't work or to support the American gun lobby's campaign to make it easier to carry guns in public places. That would be a tragedy. It should not be forgotten that, in a typical year, Norway loses fewer than 10 of its citizens to gun homicide; America loses an average of 12,000.
Since the Norway massacre, there have been at least four mass shootings in the U.S., leaving six dead at a roller rink in Texas, one dead and eight wounded in Stockton, CA, nine teens wounded at a party in Florida, and seven wounded at a Casino in Seattle. Our hearts go out to these victims and their loved ones as well.
Whereas a mass shooting in Norway is an extraordinary event, it is a regular occurrence in America. Whereas 84 shooting deaths in a single day is a historic event in Norway, described by the nation's prime minister as a 'national disaster,' 84 dead is essentially the everyday toll of fatal gun violence in America. Whereas such a tragedy in Norway likely will lead to determined efforts to further strengthen that nation's gun laws, America has suffered through Columbine, Virginia Tech, Fort Hood, Tucson and too many other similar events with little action to prevent more tragedies of this kind.
The shooting in Norway is neither a reason to condemn Norway's gun laws, nor to celebrate our own."
A photo of Dennis Henigan is available here.
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The Brady Campaign, with its dedicated network of Million Mom March Chapters, is the nation's largest, non-partisan, grassroots organization leading the fight to prevent gun violence. The Brady Campaign works to enact and enforce sensible gun laws, regulations and public policies to create an America free from gun violence, where all Americans are safe at home, at school, at work, and in our communities.
The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence is a national non-profit organization working to reduce the tragic toll of gun violence through education, research, and legal advocacy.
Dan Gross is the President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Brady Center. A photo and more information about Dan Gross is available here.
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