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Massachusetts Democrats Call For Gun Control and Improved School Safety Following Georgia School Shooting

September 5, 2024

Massachusetts Democratic lawmakers called for more gun control in the wake of a Georgia school shooting on Wednesday.

A 14-year-old shot and killed four people — two students and two teachers — and hospitalized nine others — eight students and one teacher — during a mass-shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, according to CNN.

Responding to the news, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Cambridge) expressed sorrow for families who lost loved ones and called for stricter gun control measures. 

“I’m heartsick by the school shooting in Atlanta where mamas and daddies still don’t know if their kids are safe, and where another class of students have had their lives shattered by gun violence,” Warren posted on X (Twitter). “How many more people have to die before Congress acts?”

U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-Hyde Park) also reacted to the news by calling for more gun control.

She also tied it to the shooting that happened at a barber shop in the Dorchester section of Boston that left one dead and another injured on Labor Day, Monday, September 2. 

“The barbershop shooting in Dorchester this week & the shooting at Apalachee High School are heartbreaking,” Pressley posted on X (Twitter). “And they’re a reminder that gun violence remains a public health crisis. We need meaningful gun violence prevention legislation to save lives & stop the cycle of trauma.”

In addition, U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D-Malden) said Congress must take immediate action to prevent future school shootings.

“We have to put an end to this devastating epidemic of gun violence,” Markey posted on X (Twitter). “Students and their families should not go to school every day and wonder whether they will make it home alive. My heart is with this community and families as they suffer this loss. Congress must act now.”

Meanwhile, Governor Maura Healey also weighed in, saying that such gun violence is preventable.

“Just days into the new school year, and already more lives lost to another senseless, preventable act of gun violence,” Healey posted on X (Twitter). “This is not normal. Our students and educators deserve to be safe in the classroom.”

Similarly, U.S. Representative Jake Auchincloss (D-Newton) called school shootings a “policy choice,” contesting that lawmakers could stop them from happening.

“Guns are the leading cause of death for American youth,” Auchincloss posted on X (Twitter). “That’s a policy choice that Congress must fix with gun safety laws that save lives.”

Also, U.S. Representative Lori Trahan (D-Westford) said school safety must be a priority for lawmakers.

“My heart goes out to the victims and families affected by the tragic shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, GA,” Trahan posted on X (Twitter). “Children deserve to feel safe in their schools, and elected officials should be doing everything possible to make their safety a reality. America deserves better.”

And Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell said preventing mass shootings like this one is why she will continue fighting for more gun control in Massachusetts. 

“There are people in Georgia who hugged their families goodbye this morning who won’t come home this evening,” Campbell posted Wednesday on X (Twitter). “As a mom my heart aches and I’ll pray for them. Yet we know thoughts and prayers don’t stop bullets. As demonstrated in Massachusetts, commonsense gun laws work and reduce instances of gun violence. As your Attorney General, I will continue to push for gun reform for all because our kids deserve better.”

 

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