Washington, DC—In response to the mass shootings in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Fort Worth, Lansing, Wichita and Chicago this holiday weekend, below is a statement by U.S. Conference of Mayors’ President and Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve:
“Here we are again: a holiday weekend that should have been full of celebration and joy has turned into one scarred by the carnage and trauma of gun violence. Gatherings in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Fort Worth, Lansing, Wichita and Chicago have left at least 10 people dead and more than 80 wounded, all from senseless gunfire.
“The nation’s mayors stand with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, Wichita Mayor Brandon Wipple and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson as they begin the difficult work of helping their communities heal from these horrendous acts of violence. We commend all of the other officials who bravely and quickly responded, treated the wounded and continue to search for suspects.
“July 4th is when we celebrate our country’s independence and our freedoms as Americans. Yet the horrific gun violence occurring across the country threatens our ability to do this and threatens those very freedoms. This Congress has refused to act and many state legislatures are only making the situation worse by loosening gun safety restrictions rather than tightening them.
“On this July 4th, we must recommit to reducing gun violence in our country. Mayors, police chiefs and first responders do all that they can to prevent and ultimately respond to these deadly acts of violence, but they simply cannot do it alone. We urge Congress to put aside partisan differences and pass common sense gun safety legislation so that no other community or family is forced to endure the heartbreak of gun violence.”