Washington, DC—Below is a statement by Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director of The United States Conference of Mayors, on last night’s mass shooting at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia that left six dead and others injured.
“Yet again, we awake to the horrific news of another mass shooting in our country that has claimed the lives of six innocent people and forever changed countless others. The nation’s mayors stand with Chesapeake Mayor Rick West and the entire Chesapeake community at this incredibly difficult time as they seek to make sense of this devastating act of violence.
“Last week, it was a university. Three days ago, it was a LGBTQ nightclub. And last night, it was a local Walmart where people were doing last-minute shopping in preparation for the Thanksgiving holiday. All places where Americans are simply trying to go about and live their lives. And all places that we should expect to be safe spaces.
“There have been more than 600 mass shootings in the U.S. this year–31 of which have happened in the month of November alone. Is this our new normal? Are we, as a country, really willing to accept the regular occurrence of gun violence as a way of life where no place in our communities is safe?
“America’s mayors believe we are better than that and the time to act is now. Bipartisan gun safety legislation that could mitigate such tragedies has passed the House and remains stalled in the Senate. When Congress reconvenes next week, the bipartisan U.S. Conference of Mayors calls on the Senate to put partisan differences aside and pass this legislation this year.”