John Lennon: One of a Million Victims of Gun Violence in Just 30 Years

Thirty years ago on December 8, 1980 legendary singer/ composer John
Lennon was shot and killed outside his New York City apartment building
by a stalker. Since that tragic day in 1980, nearly a million other
people in the United States have been killed with guns.

"We
remember the wonderful talent of John Lennon and reflect on the tragic
circumstances of his death because of a dangerous man with a gun," said
Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
"While Lennon's abilities as a musician and lyricist were rare, his
status as a gun violence victim is not. Way too many people have been
killed with guns in America."

Last year, when Lennon's widow,
Yoko Ono, opened an exhibit in New York City about her husband, she
included his blood streaked glasses and a bag with his bloody clothes
from the day he was shot. Ono indicated then that she "thought it was
important to let people see the effects of gun violence".

"We've made some progress improving our guns laws over the last 30 years, most notably with the passage of the Brady Bill
in 1993 that has stopped felons, the mentally ill and domestic abusers
from making more than 1.9 million gun purchases from federally licensed
dealers. But more needs to be done to make our society a safer place,
including closing the gun show loophole and the terror gap,
which make it easy for dangerous people to get lethal weapons,"
continued Helmke. "Now is a good time to remember and follow what
Lennon wrote, and do what we can to 'give peace a chance.' "