FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 16, 2024
PHOENIX –Assistant Democratic Leader Nancy Gutierrez and other Democratic Members of the House Education Committee said today it is "our moral responsibility" to pass common-sense gun safety measures in the wake of another deadly mass shooting at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin. Fearful of the powerful gun lobby, Republicans have for years refused to hear bills outlining basic reforms supported by overwhelming majorities like safe storage requirements, universal background checks and severe threat orders of protections.
"No school is immune to the terror of a school shooting," said Gutierrez, a longtime public-school teacher and ranking Democratic member on the Education Committee. "My heart breaks for the families of the three people who have been killed, the six wounded and everyone that attends school or teaches at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin. This shooting has taken place days after the anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting that took the lives of twenty children and six adults. This is something that no school community should have to endure, and yet it is commonplace in our country. It is our absolute moral responsibility to pass legislation that ensures that minor children do not have access to firearms. We cannot continue to pretend that this problem will resolve itself with thoughts and prayers."
Representative-elect Brian Garcia, a Democrat from Tempe who will serve on the House Education Committee, added, "Students and families expect our schools to be safe from gun violence. News out of Madison, Wisconsin, is absolutely heartbreaking. As we head into what should have been a peaceful and joyous holiday break, impacted families and an entire community have been torn apart. Too many lives have been lost to inaction - we need common-sense gun safety measures to help save lives now."
Also echoing the calls for common-sense gun violence reform were incoming Representatives Stephanie Simacek, a Deer Valley Unified School District Governing Board member and former classroom teacher, and Anna Abeytia, current President of the Cartwright School District.
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