August 5, 2019

For immediate release

GOA Statement on Tragic Shootings in El Paso, TX and Dayton, OH

Springfield, VA — Senior Vice President of Gun Owners of America (GOA) Erich Pratt stated the following after the tragic shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio:

“Gun Owners of America mourns with all those affected by the pure evil in El Paso and Dayton. We pray for the families and for quick healing for the injured.

“Events like these are tragic; yet they remind us that life is precious and worth protecting — and that firearms in the hands of honest citizens are the best way to protect both liberty and security.

“This is why GOA is calling on the President, Congress and state legislatures to utterly reject any calls for gun control, including Universal Background Checks, so-called ‘Assault Weapon’ Bans, and so-called Red Flag laws.

“It is frustrating to see President Donald Trump’s continued support for so-called Red Flag laws. These Red Flag laws, properly known as Gun Confiscation Orders, are incompatible with actual due process and allow for the confiscation of firearms from innocent Americans. Consider a Maryland man, who was the subject of a Gun Confiscation Order, and was ultimately killed by police.

“As a solution, GOA calls on Congress to immediately take up and pass H.R. 38, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, as well as H.R. 3200, the Safe Students Act (to repeal gun-free schools). GOA also calls upon state legislatures to immediately take up and pass Constitutional Carry legislation. Legislators should move to end gun-free zones — places where honest citizens cannot carry firearms.

“We know that firearms in the hands of honest citizens keep us safer. In fact, based on a study commissioned by the Centers for Disease Control, we know that guns are used 16-100 times more often to protect life than to take it. And these defensive gun uses even include the employment of commonly owned, semi-automatic rifles. Consider these examples:

A Houston man fired several rounds while fighting off five home invaders this year, using his AK-47 as his primary means of defense;

A Florida man utilized his AR-15 to fire 30 rounds while fighting off seven intruders; and,

A very petite Maryland mom chased three burglars out of her home simply by charging her AR-15.

“Additionally, almost 90 percent of police agree that mass shootings would be ‘reduced’ or ‘avoided altogether’ by the presence of legally-armed citizens.

“In this difficult time in our country, let us take measures to make us safer and freer. This is not achieved by restricting guns, but by restoring firearm freedoms protected under the Second Amendment.”

Erich Pratt, or another GOA spokesperson, is available for interviews. Gun Owners of America is a nonprofit lobbying organization dedicated to protecting the right to keep and bear arms without compromise. GOA represents over two million members and activists. For more information, visit GOA’s Press Center.