Media Contact: Ladd Everitt, (202) 701-7171, ladd.everitt@gmail.com
MASS SHOOTING IN VEGAS ADDS URGENCY TO GUN REFORM MISSION, SAYS TAKEI GROUP
Washington, DC—One Pulse for America—an online community of more than 80,000 created by actor and LGBTQ rights activist George Takei—says the mass shooting that occurred in Las Vegas adds urgency to the mission of reforming America’s gun laws.
At approximately 10:00 p.m. last night, a 64 year-old gunman shot concert-goers beneath the window of his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. At least 58 people were killed, with more than 500 others injured. The gunman continued to fire until SWAT officers located him in the hotel and killed him. It is one of the worst mass shootings in United States history.
The One Pulse for America Facebook group was created after the mass shooting at The Pulse nightclub in Orlando. The mission of the group is to generate daily action to prevent gun violence in order to close the “Passion Gap” with pro-gun activists. To date, group members have taken more than 19,200 actions to prevent gun violence, including contacts to federal and state legislators on gun bills and campaigns aimed at confronting America’s reckless gun culture.
“So many families have been destroyed by this senseless tragedy in Las Vegas,” said One Pulse for America director Ladd Everitt. “At One Pulse for America, we will mourn for those who have been taken from us and redouble our efforts to defeat the dangerous SHARE Act in the U.S. Congress.”
H.R. 3668, the “Sportsmen Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act” (SHARE Act), was introduced by Congressman Jeff Duncan (R-SC) and is supported by the National Rifle Association. It would gut existing federal regulations on silencers that have been in place since the 1930s. Because of the thorough licensing and registration process civilians must go through in order to obtain silencers, they are rarely if ever used in crime. The SHARE Act would also deregulate armor-piercing ammunition.
“We already know how lethal violent Americans can be when outfitted with semiautomatic rifles and high capacity ammunition magazines,” said Everitt. “We are not going to add silencers to that mix and make it harder for civilians and law enforcement to detect the sound of gunfire during shootings. The SHARE Act should be tabled immediately.”
One Pulse for America members will also be calling on Nevada state Attorney General Paul Laxalt to respect the results of the 2016 referendum and implement a universal background check law in The Silver State.
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One Pulse for America is an online community of more than 80,000 persons who take action on a daily basis to prevent gun violence in the United States of America. One Pulse was founded by actor/LGBTQ rights activist George Takei, who felt compelled to address our nation’s epidemic of gun violence following the gruesome mass shooting at The Pulse nightclub in Orlando.