Our hearts go out to the victims and survivors. No family should ever learn from the news that their child’s campus is on lockdown because of an active shooter. No parent should ever receive the call that their child has been killed in a mass shooting.

Our organization — alongside dozens of dedicated community partners — has been working tirelessly for years to prevent exactly this kind of tragedy from happening here. Yet today, we find ourselves grieving the unimaginable on the 13th anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre.

This is our shared home, our shared community, and we will feel the impact of this tragedy for a long time to come. As we work through the pain, we must stand together and lead with love, compassion, and unwavering urgency.

—from Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence statement following the shooting at Brown University, 14.December 2025

We want more than thoughts and prayers for victims of gun violence

This past weekend, even as we observed the anniversary of Sandy Hook, more teenagers and students were murdered and injured by guns—in their classroom at Brown University and on the streets in Brooklyn, New York. At least two students at Brown had also previously survived mass shootings at their high schools.

Tell Congress to pass the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act to allow survivors to seek justice in civil court and repeal the liability shield protecting the gun industry. No other industry experiences the same immunity afforded to gun manufacturers, distributors, and dealers, and yet they produce and sell products that kill tens of thousands of Americans every year and are the number one killer of our children and teens.

Background

As we near the end of 2025, there have been 393 mass shootings in this country since January. We are now seeing young people who survive mass shootings at both their high schools and colleges and the continued ripple effects of families and communities devastated by violence and loss. 

And yet, families and survivors are prevented from seeking justice in court by a 2005 bill known as PLCAA (Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act). Repealing this bill would remove the special treatment given to the gun industry, particularly as they prioritize profit over public safety. The Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act (S 1955 and HR 3740) would change the law to center the needs of victims and families instead of granting immunity to a death-dealing industry. Even as we continue the work to prevent gun violence and mass shootings before they happen, accountability for those harmed is a step toward the culture change we so desperately need.