Frankie Miranda, President and CEO of Hispanic Federation, issued the following statement:
“Hispanic Federation is heartbroken and outraged by pointless loss of life from another mass shooting. Christian Angulo, Mason Schermerhorn, Richard Aspinwall, Christina Irimie. These are the names of the four people taken from us at Apalachee High School near Winder, GA, by a minor with access to a military grade weapon. Several others were also injured. While the victims are recorded as numbers, Hispanic Federation joins the Winder community and the rest of the nation in mourning them as people. Angulo and Schermerhorn were 14-year-old students, and Aspinwall and Irimie were teachers; each had only recently begun a new academic year. Each had plans, goals, and hopes for the new school year, all now painfully, tragically lost to an all too frequent act of senseless violence. Incidents of mass firearm violence like that which took place on Wednesday may be painfully common, but they are not, and cannot be allowed to become, normal.
Unfortunately, we cannot be shocked by this disaster. Already this year in the US, there have been 45 school shootings, 32 on K-12 campuses, with 23 people killed and 62 injured. More broadly, the US has suffered 385 mass shootings this year; the tragedy at Apalachee High School is now only the latest of at least 22 shootings with at least 4 deaths this year.
Week after week, Americans across the country are subjected to what Georgia Governor Brian Kemp called “everybody’s worst nightmare.” Americans have nightmares of mass shootings like these specifically because they are commonplace, and even expected. Our children, students, and friends conduct mass shooting drills precisely because these episodes have become a regular fixture of American life, including the school year. Preparedness along with swift, protective action saved lives Wednesday, but a broken system of firearm access in the United States enabled it in the first place. Something must change, now.
The U.S. owns more guns per capita than any other country by far, and far more of its homicides are gun-related compared to countries like Canada and Australia. A majority of Americans support common-sense, data-driven approaches to gun control, but such measures remain mired in Congress, which continues to make it easier for Americans to gain unfettered access to weapons like those used at Apalachee High.
Hispanic Federation adds its voice to countless other Americans calling for Congress to take direct, decisive action to prevent gun violence through increased access to social services, mental healthcare, and sensible restrictions on firearms.”
About Hispanic Federation:
Hispanic Federation (HF) is a nonprofit membership and advocacy organization, founded in 1990, committed to empowering and advancing the Hispanic community, with a focus on low-income, marginalized and immigrant Latinos. With programs in 40 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia, HF’s focus areas include immigration, economic empowerment, civic engagement, disaster relief, philanthropy, education, health, and the environment. HF also maintains ongoing public education campaigns and meets the organizational development needs of its member agencies through grant-making and capacity-building assistance.
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