Brady Reacts to Trump’s Gun Violence Address

His disproven narratives are not the solution

Washington, D.C., August 5, 2019 — Following President Trump’s press conference to address this weekend’s mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, the gun violence prevention group Brady denounced Trump’s dangerously inaccurate portrayal of gun violence in America. Brady condemns Trump’s refusal to name America’s weak gun laws as the cause of our country’s gun violence epidemic.

Brady President Kris Brown stated,

“In this moment of tragedy, President Trump again failed America by pushing dangerous and long-disproven narratives about the roots of gun violence, parroting NRA talking points, rather than citing the common-sense and evidence-based solutions we know will bring an end to gun violence. It’s clear the President dangerously misrepresents a relationship between mental health and gun violence. Mental illness is not predictive of violence. In fact, studies prove the opposite is true: those living with mental illnesses are more likely to be victims rather than perpetrators of violence.

Brady has a comprehensive plan to prevent gun violence in all communities, and we hope the President will take time to educate himself on the policies and solutions that have been proven to be effective to prevent gun violence in all forms.

President Trump needs to demand that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell call the Senate back from recess and pass common-sense gun safety legislation. They need to expand Brady background checks, remove assault weapons from our streets, and fund and support extreme risk protection laws that temporarily remove weapons from a person in danger of harming themselves or others. If no action is taken after these horrific back-to-back massacres, then Trump will truly have blood on his hands.”


Background Information

POLLING:

  • A Quinnipiac poll found 67% of Americans support a ban on assault weapons.
  • Over 90% of Americans, including gun owners, support expanding background checks.

MENTAL HEALTH:

  • Recent studies have proven that access to firearms is predictive of gun violence, whereas mental illness is not.

EVERYDAY GUN VIOLENCE:

  • Every day, 100 people are shot and killed in America.
  • We must not only focus on the horrific mass shootings that occur with alarming frequency in our nation, but also the everyday toll of gun violence on families across the country.
  • This past weekend in Chicago, seven people were killed and at least 47 people were injured. Mount Sinai Hospital was so overbooked they were forced to stop accepting patients.
  • From recent shootings at a music festival in Brownsville, Brooklyn, to two dead at a Mississippi Walmart, to a man waiting to pray at his synagogue in Miami, the epidemic of gun violence shows itself in horrifying fashion throughout the country.

For more gun violence statistics, visit Brady’s website. Find a grassroots event hosted by Brady chapters.



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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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