“A Shot to the Heart of Our City:” Brady Stands with Milwaukee

Washington, D.C., February 26, 2020 - Not 24 hours after candidates seeking the office of President shared their plans to address the gun crisis epidemic in the United States, five people have been murdered in a workplace shooting at a Molson Coors facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Brady Milwaukee Program Manager Anneliese Dickman shared:

“This was a shot to the heart of our city and a tragic example of preventable violence. While we don’t have all the facts in this case, it is clear that this is an individual who was unable to safely own a gun, yet was able to access one and end the lives of five individuals. And, while Milwaukee has had a 33 percent reduction in violent crime over the past five years, the 14 neighborhoods where 40 percent of our city’s gun violence is concentrated can’t speak to that change. Today’s shooting revealed to all Milwaukeeans how the residents of those neighborhoods must feel. We must remain steadfast in our commitment to make all of our communities safer and to help prevent tragedies like the one we witnessed today.”

This afternoon’s shooting, carried out by a former employee, took place at the Milwaukee campus of Molson Coors in Miller Valley. Some of the latest data available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that there were 500 workplace homicides in 2016, a number that has been increasing over the years, at the same time that the gun industry has increased efforts to limit the ability of employers to restrict guns at work.

In October, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers called a special session of the Wisconsin legislature to debate two bills that would have expanded background checks on gun purchases and instituted an Extreme Risk Protection Order and Gun Violence Restraining Order law to ensure that those at risk of hurting themselves or others do not possess firearms.

The legislature gaveled the special session in and out in 15 seconds, denying any discussion of laws that have proven effective elsewhere in removing guns from at-risk individuals.

While today’s mass shooting is a glaring example of the violence and damage inflicted by guns in our country, it is sadly not isolated, even in Milwaukee. Just this year, the city and metropolitan area has seen numerous shootings, 12 of which have involved women and children, including: two children, a 12-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy on January 4; a pregnant woman, who was killed, and her unborn baby, who survived, on February 2; and, a five-year-old boy also on February 2. The gun violence crisis is alive and well - and, sadly, remains unaddressed.

Brady President Kris Brown shared:

“President Trump just spoke to the nation about a health epidemic, Coronavirus, but only has #Thoughtsandprayers for the epidemic of gun violence and the families who lose loved ones every single day to this uniquely American crisis. Every day we must bear witness to the result of his and Senator Mitch McConnell’s inaction. We can never accept this kind of violence in our country, and yet, by some metrics, this is the forty-fifth mass shooting in 2020. We cannot be complacent when 100 people die of gun violence every day in the United States, including five employees in Milwaukee who will never come home from work again. These were real people with real lives and real families that will never be the same. Our hearts are with those families, their communities, the first responders and the people of Milwaukee tonight. They deserve better. Our nation deserves better.”

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Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.


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