New York State Bar Association President Laments Nation’s Failure To Combat Hate and Gun Violence
5.25.2022
New York State Bar Association President T. Andrew Brown issued the following statement on the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas:
The mass shooting at a Texas elementary school in a mostly Hispanic neighborhood, coming on the heels of a racially motived mass shooting in Buffalo, is a grim reminder of our country’s ongoing failure to combat hatred and gun violence. I join President Biden and the entire nation in grieving the 19 children and two teachers who were killed and express my condolences to their families and loved ones as well as to the community of Uvalde, Texas.
In both of these tragedies, the alleged shooters purchased their weapons legally, proving that our laws are not working to keep guns out of the hands of killers. This is not what the 2nd Amendment intended. There are an estimated 400 million privately-owned guns in the U.S. – more guns per capita than any country and enough to arm every man, woman and child. As the number of guns in the U.S. spirals out of control – with millions more in circulation every year — inevitably so too do the number of gun deaths, reaching a record high in 2020. These senseless killings must stop.
It is far past time for our leaders to put political differences aside and enact sensible gun control. How many more lives must be lost before they act? We owe it to our children and to ourselves to ensure that innocent individuals are secure from harm as they pursue daily tasks like going to school and shopping for groceries. Safety is a basic human right.
About the New York State Bar Association
The New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. Since 1876, NYSBA has helped shape the development of law, educated, and informed the legal profession and the public, and championed the rights of New Yorkers through advocacy and guidance in our communities.
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