Brady Joins with Milwaukee Community in Supporting Victims of Mayfair Mall Mass Shooting

Washington, D.C., November 21, 2020 - Today, Brady joins with the Milwaukee community in uplifting the eight victims of Friday's mass shooting at Mayfair Mall. Each of these individuals, seven adults and one teenager, will live with the physical, emotional and economic repercussions of this mass shooting for the rest of their lives. Brady reiterates the need to support them on their path to recovery, even after physical wounds have healed.

Brady President Kris Brown shared:

“The mass shooting at Mayfair Mall underscores how gun violence in America has not abated during the coronavirus pandemic - and has in fact increased. As the pandemic rages and fills hospital beds, surgeons and doctors continue to care for gun violence victims, further straining our healthcare system. The victims in Friday's shooting will live with their injuries, both seen and unseen, for the rest of their lives. Up to 95 percent of people exposed to mass shootings experience symptoms of PTSD in the early days after the incident. These victims are on a long road to recovery. Our country cannot neglect them or forget about them after the spotlight has turned away.

While we do not know all the details of these patients’ conditions, and we fervently hope that they are on the road to a speedy recovery, we know that the cost of a hospitalization for a gunshot can cost tens of thousands of dollars. In total, gun violence costs the U.S. economy over $700 million annually. Sadly, there are now eight more people in our country who can count themselves in the family of gun violence survivors. We must support them and end this public health crisis once and for all.”

Brady Milwaukee Program Manager Anneliese Dickman shared:

“Twice in the last year, Gov. Tony Evers has asked the Wisconsin Legislature to convene and to substantively address gun violence in our state. Twice, the legislature has not done so, gaveling in and out of session in mere minutes in 2019 and then delaying and evading the issue in 2020. This shooting throws the need for action into sharp relief. The legislature’s dogged refusal to tackle this issue is first and foremost costing lives and livelihoods, while straining our healthcare system and resources. As our state continues to fight surging coronavirus cases, our hospitals should not also be forced to treat gun violence.

We need the legislature to act. We need relief and action to prevent gun violence. They are sacrificing our safety and well-being. It is unacceptable.

About Gun Violence in Milwaukee:

This year, Milwaukee has seen more homicides than any year since 1991, while shootings have increased at alarming levels, as well. This spike in violence accompanies a nationwide increase, as shootings already outpace those in 2019 and are on track to exceed numbers from the past decade. The Gun Violence Archive reports that there have been over 38,000 people killed by gun violence in 2020, as well as 572 mass shootings. Friday's shooting at the Mayfair Mall now joins that total.

Accompanying this nationwide surge in gun violence, we have also seen unprecedented increases in gun sales. In Wisconsin alone we estimate that there have been 427,000 guns sold in 2020, a 68 percent increase in sales over the same period last year, while in October 2020 we estimate that there were 47,000 guns sold in Wisconsin, a 59 percent increase in the number of sales over October 2019. With all of these new firearms in communities across the state, Brady urges gun owners to diligently practice safe storage, meaning storing firearms locked, unloaded, and with ammunition stored separately. Safe storage is a key and proven mechanism to prevent unintentional shootings and incidents of family fire. For more information visit EndFamilyFire.org.