SEATTLE, WA – In response to news that three white men were found guilty of murder and other charges in the death of Ahmaud Arbery, Alliance for Gun Responsibility CEO Renée Hopkins issued the following statement:

“We are grateful for today’s verdict, which finally brings a measure of accountability in the senseless murder of Ahmaud Arbery. While this decision is welcome, it alone is not justice. Ahmaud Arbery should be alive today. No verdict will bring him back or make up for the pain and loss his loved ones suffered. 

Ahmaud was just out for a jog when he was chased down and killed by three white men claiming to act in self defense. His murder was a direct result of Georgia’s reckless Stand Your Ground law, which empowers a ‘shoot first’ mentality that steals far too many Black and brown lives. Stand Your Ground laws give shooters a license to kill, and when white shooters kill Black victims the shootings are deemed justifiable five times more frequently than when the situation is reversed. They should have no place in American society. 

Ahmaud’s murder is proof of how much work we have still to do to dismantle white supremacy and build a safer, more just future.  We will fight on to ensure that all people can jog, protest, pray, love, and live safe from gun violence” 

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