Washington, DC–Below is a statement by U.S. Conference of Mayors President Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve on yesterday’s mass shooting in Richmond, VA.
“Reacting to a shooting at a high school graduation in Richmond yesterday that took the lives of a high school graduate and his father and injured five other people, that city’s mayor, Levar Stoney, asked: ‘Is nothing sacred any longer? Is nothing sacred any longer?’ Unfortunately, in the United States, we know the answer to that question is an emphatic ‘no.’ Our nation is awash in guns, and they continue to be too easy to acquire.
“America’s mayors stand with Mayor Stoney, this year’s Huguenot High School graduates and their families, their teachers and all of those associated with the high school, and the entire Richmond community. We agree with Mayor Stoney that ‘a child should be able to go to their graduation…and enjoy the accomplishment with their friends and their families.’
“Despite one deadly shooting after another, state and federal leaders refuse to take action to reduce gun violence. The Senate today and the House next week are considering a resolution that would weaken federal gun safety regulations. And many state legislatures are currently focused on loosening gun safety restrictions rather than tightening them. Mayors, police chiefs, and first responders do all they can when these senseless and horrific events occur, but they need help.
“On Monday at our Annual Meeting in Columbus, OH, the U.S. Conference of Mayors unanimously adopted a resolution that states: ‘if we are serious about reducing gun violence, Congress must act now and [we] call on Congress to quickly pass common sense gun safety legislation.’ America’s mayors are serious about this and it’s time for Congress to join them. We can and must do better.”