SEATTLE, WA – The Alliance for Gun Responsibility issued the following statement in response to a shooting in Seattle on Sunday, April 11th that left four people wounded, including a 2-year-old girl and a shooting at a high school in Knoxville on Monday, April 12th that left one student dead and one officer wounded. 

“Our hearts are heavy as we grieve in the aftermath of two more senseless acts of violence,” said Renée Hopkins, CEO of the Alliance for Gun Responsibility. “Our thoughts are with the survivors, loved ones, and entire communities impacted by these shootings. No one should have to fear being shot at a shopping center or at school. Sadly, these two shootings represent the daily toll of gun violence in America. They are also evidence of the unequal media attention that distorts perceptions about the gun violence epidemic. The shooting at Austin-East Magnet High School in Knoxville rightly made national news, causing the country to brace for another mass school shooting—a tragedy that has become all too familiar. In contrast, the shooting in Seattle’s Central District was barely a blip in the news cycle, even locally. Similarly, three other students at Austin-East Magnet High School were shot and killed within three weeks of each other earlier this year, but those shootings did not dominate headlines. Every act of needless gun violence is a national tragedy and deserves to be treated as one. And more importantly, every type of gun violence must be treated with the urgency the crisis requires. We are committed to working harder than ever in honor of these and all victims for an end to this epidemic.”

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