July, 24 2015, 01:15pm EDT
Violence Policy Center Statement on Lafayette, LA Movie Theater Shooting
Following yesterday's shooting at a Lafayette, Louisiana movie theater reportedly with a 40 caliber handgun that left two dead and nine injured before the shooter killed himself, Violence Policy Center (VPC) Executive Director Josh Sugarmann issued the following statement:
WASHINGTON
Following yesterday's shooting at a Lafayette, Louisiana movie theater reportedly with a 40 caliber handgun that left two dead and nine injured before the shooter killed himself, Violence Policy Center (VPC) Executive Director Josh Sugarmann issued the following statement:
"Once again, ordinary Americans just living their lives have been victimized in a vicious gun attack. And while this latest shooting has shaken Louisiana, the sad and all too often unacknowledged fact is that day in and day out gun violence takes a heavy toll in the state. In 2013, Louisiana's per capita firearm homicide rate was first in the nation, and it ranked second in the rate of overall gun death (which includes suicide and unintentional deaths) according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We need stronger gun laws in Louisiana and across the nation so that all Americans can feel safe going about their daily lives."
The Violence Policy Center (VPC) works to stop gun death and injury through research, education, advocacy, and collaboration. Founded in 1988 by Executive Director Josh Sugarmann, a native of Newtown, Connecticut, the VPC informs the public about the impact of gun violence on their daily lives, exposes the profit-driven marketing and lobbying activities of the firearms industry and gun lobby, offers unique technical expertise to policymakers, organizations, and advocates on the federal, state, and local levels, and works for policy changes that save lives. The VPC has a long and proven record of policy successes on the federal, state, and local levels, leading the National Rifle Association to acknowledge us as "the most effective ... anti-gun rabble-rouser in Washington."
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