America Again Witnesses The Cost Of Assault Weapons In Civilian Hands

Dec 6, 2007

Washington, D.C.  - Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, issued the following statement about yesterday’s tragic shooting in Omaha, Nebraska:

“Our sympathies and prayers go to the families of the eight who died and the five who were wounded in yesterday’s mall shooting in Omaha.

“Having a military-style assault rifle and high-capacity ammunition clips enabled a troubled young man to kill and injure a large number of people quickly and efficiently.  Allowing the easy acquisition and possession of military-style weapons like this is foolhardy and the results are tragic.

“We need to find out how and where the killer got this gun and this ammunition. We need to stop selling military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips to civilians. The killer knew what he was going to do, and he knew what tools he needed.  Our weak gun laws make these killing machines readily available.  We can take steps to prevent tragedies like this in the future.”

Examples of assault weapon violence since the expiration of the Federal assault weapons ban can be found at http://www.bradycampaign.org/xshare/pdf/assault/awb_violence.pdf.

###

As the nation's largest, non-partisan, grassroots organization leading the fight to prevent gun violence, the Brady Campaign, with its dedicated network of Million Mom March Chapters, works to enact and enforce sensible gun laws, regulations and public policies. The Brady Campaign is devoted to creating an America free from gun violence, where all Americans are safe at home, at school, at work, and in our communities

Dan Gross is the President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. A photo and more information about Dan Gross is available here.
For continuing insight and comments on the gun issue, read The Brady Blog

Brady News Releases are available via RSS