Decries Continued Push by Gun Lobby to Force Colleges
to Allow Guns on Campus and Arm Teachers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Croton Falls, NY). – Today, as we reflect on the one-year mark of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre, where a gunman – equipped with a military-style assault rifle, high capacity magazines, and other weapons – took the lives of 17 individuals and injured 17 others, The Campaign to Keep Guns off Campus issued the following statement:

“The Campaign would like to first honor those 17 people killed on this day one year ago:

  • Alyssa Alhadeff, 14
  • Scott Beigel, 35
  • Martin Duque, 14
  • Nicholas Dworet, 17
  • Aaron Feis, 37
  • Jaime Guttenberg, 14
  • Chris Hixon, 49
  • Luke Hoyer, 15
  • Cara Loughran, 14
  • Gina Montalto, 14
  • Joaquin Oliver, 17
  • Alaina Petty, 14
  • Meadow Pollack, 18
  • Helena Ramsay, 17
  • Alex Schachter, 14
  • Carmen Schentrup, 16
  • Peter Wang, 15

“And the 17 people injured:

  • Samantha Fuentes
  • Alexander Dworet (brother of Nicholas)
  • Isabel Chequer
  • Stacey Lynn Lippel
  • Madeleine Wilford
  • Anthony Borges
  • Kyle Laman
  • Ashley Baez
  • Justin Colton
  • Marian Kabachenko
  • Kheshava Managapuram
  • Samantha Mayor
  • William Olson
  • Genesis Valentin
  • Benjamin Wikander
  • Daniela Menescal
  • Samantha Grady

“We believe that in order to properly honor these individuals, we must look for ways to reduce gun violence in our homes and communities.  That solution cannot include the proliferation of firearms, which will turn places of learning into arsenals of fear.   We must also reject the gun lobby’s agenda to normalize the carrying of weapons into more of our public places, such as schools, libraries, parks, municipal buildings, houses of worship, and places of entertainment.

“No one measure can prevent all acts of violence – but the right combination of strategies can greatly reduce the probability of their occurrence without exacerbating the problem. Strategies that are preventative and focus on the mental well-being of young people are to be applauded and funded, but these strategies should not include forcing guns on college campuses and allowing teachers and school personnel to be armed.  This is the least we owe to the victims and survivors of Marjory Stoneman Douglas.”

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ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN TO KEEP GUNS OFF CAMPUS

The Campaign to Keep Guns off Campus was founded in 2008 to urge colleges and universities to band together to oppose the gun lobby’s agenda to push loaded, concealed guns on college campuses. To date, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and more than 420 colleges and universities in 42 states have joined the Campaign. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Contact:

Andy Pelosi, Executive Director, [email protected] (914-629-6726)