SEATTLE, WA – Yesterday, newly-released body camera footage showed that 13-year-old Adam Toledo had his hands in the air when he was fatally shot by police in Little Village, Illinois. Later that night, one state away, eight people were killed and several more were wounded in a mass shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis. Alliance for Gun Responsibility CEO, Renée Hopkins issued the following statement in response: 

“This morning, on the 14th anniversary of Virginia Tech, the deadliest school shooting in our nation’s history, and the day after horrific footage was released of the fatal police shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo in Illinois, we woke up to news of yet another mass shooting in America. Yet another community devastated, another workplace shattered, another city name now synonymous with tragedy.

Indianapolis comes after a month of brutal reminders of the toll of the gun violence epidemic. One month ago today was Atlanta. Then it was Boulder. Then Daunte Wright. Then Seattle’s Central District. Then Knoxville. Then Adam Toledo. And we know that countless others didn’t get enough media attention to make this list but were no less devastating. 

We cannot afford continued inaction. The calculus is simple, the longer we go without action to prevent gun violence in all of its forms, the more lives are lost. Last week, the Biden Administration took historic action to address the gun violence epidemic, calling for many policies already in place here in Washington. But as the president acknowledged, executive actions alone are not enough. Congress must act now to stop the bloodshed, starting with expanding background checks. Here in Washington state, our lawmakers must act swiftly to get the package of vital police accountability bills across the finish line. We need more than thoughts and prayers. And we need more than empty excuses.”

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