Young NAACP leaders demand gun safety reform following Virginia shooting

A group of Millennial and Gen Z NAACP leaders sent an open letter to governors across the country demanding gun reform after three Black University of Virginia students were shot and killed by another student Sunday.

The letter, which called the shooting “another senseless and tragic school violent shooting,” calls for bold leadership, safety measures, solutions that do not criminalize Black communities and the need for all to come together in support of these steps.

In June, the NAACP supported a gun safety bill that was the most comprehensive bipartisan gun violence prevention bill Congress passed in nearly 30 years.

“We continue to work to support safe, sane, and sensible laws that help prevent gun violence as over 30,000 lives are claimed by gun violence annually in the United States — an epidemic in our communities,” the letter said.

“Politicians are responsible for stricter gun control and getting guns off the streets. Gun control requires more than just policing. Gun violence is a social cost created by individuals’ inappropriate use of the industry’s products that harm others. It should not be so easy to obtain a firearm in the U.S. Gun violence is also a part of a vicious cycle of race and inequities in America. Addressing the root causes must be the priority of our elected leaders.”

Black Americans are 14 times more likely to be killed by guns than white Americans. Among young Black men, gun violence is the leading cause of death.

“Whether it is a domestic violence shooting or a racially motivated mass shooting — gun violence is taking countless lives, deteriorating our security, and undermining our democracy,” said the letter.

“Young Black people, especially Black boys, have a harder time escaping poverty and violence,” the letter continued. “As the next generation of leaders in this country, we have a responsibility to care for, invest in, and protect them. With policy advancements at gridlock on the federal level, we recognize that state and local solutions and interventions are our best path forward. When we come together to collaborate with our Governors who wield immense power then and only then can we turn around this crisis. Our values and our vote demand this!”

The letter was signed by Rylan Pendleton of Alabama, Dominik Whitehead of Virginia, Carey Walls of Indiana and Wisdom Cole of California.

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