WASHINGTON — Nearing the second anniversary of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, gun control advocates are renewing their drive in Congress for tougher gun laws. It was on Dec. 14, 2012 that a mentally disturbed gunman killed 20 children and 6 teachers and staffers at Sandy Hook.
Two groups, Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America have released a report counting 95 shootings on school grounds in 33 states. The shootings include gang violence and accidental shootings, but the groups say the number is evidence of the overwhelming prevalence of guns in America.
The groups say there were 45 deaths and 78 injuries in the 95 shootings.
Another finding from the groups’ study is that of K-12 school shootings, 70 percent were by minors and most of them got the gun from their home.
“We do not send our children to school to learn how to hide from gunmen, nor should we expect sharpshooting to be a job requirement for our educators,” says Shannon Watts, a mother of five and founder of Moms Demand Action.
“We can and should do more to prevent gun violence,” adds John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety.
The gun control advocates visited Capitol Hill to urge Congress to expand background checks for gun buyers. Other measures the groups are backing would toughen federal laws against gun trafficking and against individuals who purchase guns for felons who are otherwise prohibited from buying them.
But gun control measures championed by President Barack Obama faltered in Congress in the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings and lawmakers say there are few prospects for tougher gun laws any time soon.
Senator Chris Murphy, (D-CT), sees the recent mid-term election results as a fresh hurdle to passing comprehensive background checks for gun purchasers.
“We know maybe the chances of passing this legislation became a little bit less likely given November’s results but we are not going to cease fighting,” says Sen. Murphy.
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