Washington, D.C., August 4, 2019 — This morning, we woke up to news of another mass shooting, this time at the popular Oregon District in Dayton, Ohio. A single gunman, wearing body armor and carrying a .223-caliber rifle with several high-capacity magazines, killed at least 9 people and injured at least 26 more in under a minute. The gun violence prevention organization Brady issued the following statement, expressing outrage at the second mass shooting in under 24 hours, following the massacre in El Paso. Brady further urged law enforcement and media to focus on how the shooter obtained the firearms and if any local or federal laws were broken in the process.
Brady President Kris Brown stated,
“Enough! How many times do we have to keep saying it? This is a national emergency. Sen. McConnell needs to immediately call Congress back from recess before this public health epidemic spirals any further out of control.
There are actions we can take now, today, to make us all safer. We need to pass a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, one was in place for a decade but Congress allowed it to lapse years ago. We also need to pass and fund extreme risk protection laws, and expand background checks. A bill to pass universal background checks is gathering dust on McConnell’s desk as we speak.This recess, Brady is coordinating grassroots efforts with fellow gun violence prevention advocates, encouraging voters to attend and organize forums and town halls across the country. We can’t let our representatives off the hook. We must demand action, and if Congress refuses to act, we will march."
Every six hours someone is killed with a gun in the state of Ohio. And yet the state has taken limited actions to save lives from gun violence. Ohio does not currently have universal background checks or laws restricting the use of assault weapons or high capacity magazines.
If the killer’s rifle was designed to fire more than 31 rounds without reloading, then it may have been prohibited under Ohio’s definition of an automatic weapon.
Members of the Dayton community impacted by this tragedy can contact Give an Hour, a network of therapists who will provide free help to survivors. The organization, founded originally to reach out to combat veterans returning from war, has expanded its services to include victims of gun violence in the United States, who suffer many of the same post-traumatic issues as our veterans returning from combat.
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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