SHERIDAN, WY. — The Wyoming chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, issued the following statement after a police officer was shot and killed while on duty. According to reports, the suspect shot at the police with an assault weapon before spending over twelve hours barricaded in a standoff with law enforcement officials.
“Our hearts break for the loved ones of the victim and the entire Sheridan community, ” said Erika Cole, a volunteer with the Wyoming chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Tragedies like this are not a coincidence – they are a direct result of gun lobby-backed policies that have destroyed any sense of safety in our communities. We must all come together,advocates, constituents and policy makers, to find ways to keep guns out of the wrong hands, that is how we break this deadly cycle and protect our families from senseless acts of gun violence.”
This session, lawmakers have already introduced measures to put guns in more places. This week, Moms Demand Action volunteers will testify against HB 125. The measure requires guns to be allowed in schools, universities, government meetings, and professional athletic events; and amendments to Wyoming’s preemption law declaring that only the state legislature, not other state agencies or the Governor, can regulate firearms. The measure is now under consideration at the House Judiciary Committee.
Wyoming has one of the highest rates of gun deaths and gun suicide in the country, along with some of the weakest gun laws and high household firearm ownership. In an average year, 142 people die by guns in Wyoming. More information about gun violence in Wyoming is available here.
