The Tennessee chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, today released the following statement after one child was shot at Cummings Elementary School in Memphis. Details are still developing.
“I have three children in elementary school. I can’t even begin to imagine the agony and trauma that everyone impacted by this devastating shooting is suffering. It’s heartbreaking,” said Kat McRitchie, a volunteer with the Tennessee chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Tennessee’s gun violence epidemic is devastating our communities and leaving visible and invisible scars on everyone it touches. There’s so much more we must do to keep our kids safe, both in and out of school – but instead, our lawmakers passed permitless carry, putting us all in even more danger.”
In an average year, 1,193 people die by guns in Tennessee, and 2,220 are wounded. With a rate of 17.5 deaths per 100,000 people, Tennessee has the 12th-highest rate of gun deaths in the US. Firearms are the 2nd leading cause of death among children and teens in Tennessee. Despite this, earlier this year, Tennessee lawmakers further weakened the state’s gun laws by passing a permitless carry bill allowing people to carry loaded handguns in public with no background check and no safety training over the objections of law enforcement, faith leaders, medical professionals, and more.
Everytown’s report on proactive measures to prevent gun violence in schools is available here.
