Brady Responds to Recent District Shootings with Call for D.C. Statehood

Washington, D.C., September 20, 2019 — Nine people were shot, two fatally, in back-to-back shootings Thursday night in Washington, D.C. The first shooting took place in Northwest D.C., while the second occurred less than an hour later and only a few miles away on the city’s Northeast side. While police are unsure if the incidents are connected, they believe the shooter in at least one used an assault-style weapon.

Both shootings came hours after the first hearing on D.C. statehood in 25 years, where D.C.’s right to determine its own gun laws was among the topics being discussed.

Brady President, Kris Brown stated,

“It’s painful to see another shooting in our own community, and still Mitch McConnell and others in the Senate don’t seem to give a second thought to the gun violence happening in their own backyard, let alone our nation. While many states have been taking action in recent years given the gridlock on the Hill, this is not an option for the District.

For far too long, District residents have faced daily gun violence and the impact of not having a voice in Congress. The same people obstructing progress on our federal laws are dictating what D.C. can do to address gun violence in its own local communities. It’s time for the city’s more than700,000 residents to receive the representation that basic democratic rights afford them. They have the right to govern and protect their own communities, now they need the votes in Congress.”

So far in 2019, 125 people have been killed in D.C., up 17% from this time last year. With the exception of one year, the city has seen at least 100 homicides annually since 1999.