Kappa Theta Epsilon Calls for Action in Response to Increasing US Mass Shootings

ATLANTA – Countless lives changed forever yesterday, when a heavily armed young man barged into
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, about an hour northwest of Miami. Nikolas
Cruz, a 19-year-old who had been expelled from the school, opened fire on terrified students and teachers,
leaving 17 dead and five more fighting for their lives.

The Parkland shooting joins the Pulse nightclub shooting of 2016 among the ten most deadly in American
history.

These stories are all too common. The deaths of Americans in mass shootings – young and old, from
every race, socioeconomic background, and religion, are now commonplace in the news cycle.

According to the Washington Post, there were 146 mass shootings from 1966 to 2017. Recently, that total
has risen to 167. 1,065 people lost their lives in these tragedies; of those deaths, more than 150 of them
were children.

F.B.I. and news reports state there have been more than 40 “active shooter” episodes in schools since the
year 2000.

We are issuing a call to action to our family, friends, and allies. We ask that you join us and stand up for
legislative action to protect our communities from this senseless violence. Every member of our society
deserves the right to feel safe – whether at school, work, social events, or their place of worship.

Kappa Theta Epsilon is committed to ending this epidemic and helping our society thrive. We believe that
individual and group grassroots action can positively impact communities across the nation. Please take
action by:

– Memorializing those lives that were lost
– Advocating for improved and more accessible mental health treatment
– Promoting tolerance and anti-bullying programming in our education system
– Lobbying for effective gun control laws, including the prohibition of AR-15 type
weapons and gun stops

We encourage other LGBT sororities, fraternities and civic organizations to join our efforts by developing
programming that addresses these issues.

Please click here to read the Sorority’s official statement.