California Moms Demand Action, Everytown Respond to Mass Shooting in Canoga Park

Everytown Analysis of Mass Shootings from 2009 to 2017 is Available Here

CANOGA PARK, Calif. — The California chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following statement in response to the mass shooting in Canoga Park that left four dead and two others wounded. According to reports, the shooter shot and killed his father and brother at their home, and shot and wounded his mother. The shooter then opened fire at a gas station, killing one woman and wounding another man. Police had deployed tactical officers through the Valley to find Zaragoza when authorities allege he shot and killed another man inside a bus.

This shooting is at least the 14th mass shooting this year, according to research by Everytown for Gun Safety. Everytown defines mass shootings as those in which four or more people are shot and killed, excluding the shooter.

“Once again I am devastated that gun violence has shattered our local community, and I am heartbroken for the victims and families whose lives have been changed forever,” said Samantha Dorf, volunteer chapter leader with the California chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “Too many people lose their lives to senseless gun violence — violence that, in many instances, could have been prevented. We cannot accept this as normal. We can and must do more to prevent this from happening over and over again. Our lives depend on it.”

Every day, 100 Americans are killed with guns and hundreds more are wounded. The effects of gun violence extend far beyond these casualties — gun violence shapes the lives of millions of Americans who witness it, know someone who was shot or live in fear of the next shooting. Research on gun violence in America is available here.