Statement By Vice President Kamala Harris on the Shootings in Nevada and Texas
Every person in every community across America should have the freedom to live safe from gun violence. But instead, our nation is being torn apart by the fear and trauma of this epidemic.
Today, it was another campus of students terrorized while being told to RUN-HIDE-FIGHT as an active shooter opened fire at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas – only miles from the site of the deadliest mass shooting in American history.
And yesterday, it was two more communities in Texas experiencing a string of senseless violence as a gunman killed six people and injured three more, including two police officers, in Austin and San Antonio – only miles from the sites of devastating mass shootings in Uvalde and Sutherland Springs.
Doug and I are mourning those who were killed and praying for the victims and their families. We are grieving for the students and so many more whose lives are forever changed. And we are thinking of the members of law enforcement who put themselves in harm’s way to bring these shooting sprees to an end.
While we have more to learn about these incidents, we know that they are sadly not unique in America. An average of 120 people are killed by a gun every single day across our country. Gun violence is the leading cause of death for children throughout our nation. And one in five Americans has lost a family member to this epidemic. These are not simply statistics; these are our loved ones, our neighbors, and our classmates.
It does not have to be this way. Solutions do exist. Congress must make background checks universal, pass red flag laws, and renew the assault weapons ban. It is past time. In the meantime, President Biden and I will use every tool we have to urgently advance commonsense gun safety policies and save lives, including through the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. There is not a moment to spare, nor a life to spare.
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