Brady Statement on Supermarket Shooting in Buffalo, New York

Washington, D.C., May 14, 2022 - Today, Brady urges state and national leaders to act now to prevent gun violence, following a mass shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York. This is the 198th mass shooting this year, and 15,833 people have died from gun violence in 2022. While New York’s gun laws are strong and its leaders united in stopping this epidemic, this shooting is further evidence that we need comprehensive action to effectively stop gun violence. Brady urges all leaders - from local up to the federal government - to use this tragedy as an opportunity to act.

Brady President Kris Brown shared:

“The failure to pass national, comprehensive and common-sense gun violence laws continues to leave us vulnerable and has allowed hate-filled individuals to lethally target individuals based on prejudice, bigotry and racism. Our deepest sympathies are with all the families affected by this shooting and we are grateful for the actions of law enforcement to confront this shooter and arrest him.

If we care to end gun violence we must recognize basic facts about gun violence prevention policies: they work, but also require a more consistent federal standard. New York, a state with strong gun laws, has the fifth lowest rate of gun violence-related deaths in the U.S. But, New York is not immune from the weak laws of other states and glaring loopholes in federal law.

We need universal background checks and a national ban on weapons of war–assault-style weapons. These are policies a majority of Americans support, and the U.S. Senate could pass them tomorrow. Additionally, the Buffalo Police are investigating this shooting as a racially-motivated hate crime. Common-sense bills exist that would stop any person who has been convicted of a hate crime misdemeanor from purchasing or possessing a firearm. We do not yet know if these policies could have prevented this specific shooting, but we know that it would prevent others and that it would save lives.

This shooting underscores the stakes in the upcoming Bruen pending before the Supreme Court in which it is reviewing New York’s gun laws. That ruling could overturn New York’s century-old permitting system, which would inevitably result in more loaded weapons in public places and limit the ability of law enforcement to regulate guns in public. More guns in public places carried by unscreened and untrained individuals will not protect Americans–it will imperil them, and lead to a society in which safety, freedom, our right to assembly, and our right to live, is swallowed by an insurrectionist view of the Second Amendment. We cannot let that happen. Raise your voice, understand that your safety and the safety of your families are at stake, and demand strong gun laws and courts that uphold them.”

Brady Buffalo Chapter President and Executive Director of Most Valuable Parents of Buffalo New York Mia Ayers-Goss shared:

“As a community and at Most Valuable Parents of Buffalo, we are heartbroken and devastated at this attack on our city. In face of this violence, we must continue to work together in solidarity to address the root causes of gun violence and to heal trauma. In face of the kinds of hate such as we have seen today, we must unite and work together with all races, cultures, government agencies, educational institutions, community organizations, elected officials, and parents. We all have to work together. My heart goes out to all of the families that were affected today.”

About the Shooting In Buffalo:

On Saturday, May 14, 2022, a gunman opened fire at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York shortly after 2:30 pm ET. While details are still emerging on this case, reports indicate that the shooter, an 18-year-old white male, is in custody and that he used one or more assault-style weapons to carry out the shooting in a grocery store leaving 10 dead and 3 wounded. Law enforcement has indicated that there is evidence they are reviewing showing that this is a “racially motivated hate crime.”