By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
U.S. Representative Terri A. Sewell (D) responds to the shooting at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama and the school shooting in Connecticut by calling for gun control legislation.
Rep. Terri A. Sewell said on Saturday, “Unfortunately, just one day after the mass shooting in Connecticut, the City of Birmingham, Alabama experienced its own violent act at St. Vincent’s Hospital. My thoughts and prayers are with the wounded officer, employees and patients that may have been affected. I applaud the Birmingham Police Department, its officers and the hospital’s security personnel for their courageous efforts to take down the suspect and prevent a catastrophic event. Too many of these tragic events are happening across this country and I will do all that I can as a Member of Congress to push for tougher gun control legislation.”
Congresswoman Terri Sewell represents Alabama’s Seventh Congressional District.
At 4 a.m. on Saturday a gunman wounded two hospital staffers at St. Vincents Hospital. A Birmingham police officer was also wounded before another Birmingham police officer shot and killed the gunman, Jason Letts (38) from Jemison. Letts’ wife was a cardiac patient in the hospital.
Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper released a written statement: “In light of the recent mass shooting in Connecticut, too many of these incidents end with unimaginable tragedy. I am amazed at the bravery of our officers as they confronted this armed gunman in the hallway. I have absolutely no doubt that their courageous actions at that exact moment saved many lives.
All of Birmingham should be proud and appreciative that these are the type of officers that protect our communities every day. The hospital staff and especially the security team should also be commended because they performed with selfless service which contained the incident until the officers’ arrival. The results of this incident could have been much worse.” All three of the victims are expected to survive their shootings.
This shooting followed the horrific massacre that occurred on Friday in Connecticut. Adam Lanza (20) killed his Mother and then went to the Sandy Hook Elementary School where he killed 20 small children and six adults before finally killing himself.
The relative ease in which almost anyone can walk into a “gun free zone” like a school or a hospital has increased the debate as to whether Americans should sacrifice more of their gun rights or if institutions like schools and hospitals need to have more armed security.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence released a statement on Facebook in response to the Shady Hook E.S. massacre, “Like all Americans, our hearts are broken by this terrible tragedy. We send our thoughts and prayers to all those directly affected. Across the country, we will be giving extra strong hugs to our kids when they come home safely from school. But in the name of those who didn’t and in the name of the eight children and teens that die from guns every day in our nation, we cannot let it end there. We have to take terrible moments like this and use it as a catalyst to demand the sensible change in our nation that is too long overdue. We are better than this. We all just want to live in a safer nation.”
The National Association for Gun Rights released this statement on Facebook following the Connecticut tragedy: “The prayers of the staff here at the National Association for Gun Rights go out to the families of the victims of yesterday’s murder massacre in Connecticut. We can only imagine the pain the parents and families of those who were murdered at the hands of this evil individual are feeling right now. But already, like in so many cases from years past, the gun control lobby is shamelessly using the blood of innocents to advance their anti-gun agenda.
Make no mistake — this is a dangerous time for the Second Amendment. Like you, we’re outraged that not even 24 hours after the shooting, the gun control vultures are circling the victims. The enemies of our Second Amendment rights want gun owners to back off and give in to their demands. But no defender of our gun rights should apologize for the horrific actions of a deranged lunatic.
What you won’t hear on TV or radio or read in the newspaper is that the anti-gun Brady Campaign lists Connecticut as having the 5th “strongest” gun control laws in the entire country. Connecticut’s strict gun control laws prevent law-abiding individuals who could’ve potentially stopped this massacre from getting access to firearms. In other words, the teachers and administrators entrusted with the security of the students were sitting ducks, and so were the children.
You also won’t hear that Connecticut law already bans at least one of the firearms that may have been used in these murders. The gun-grabbers have spent decades in states like Connecticut passing gun control laws that do nothing more than empower criminals. As Second Amendment activists we MUST be vigilant in these times — not just in the defense of our loved ones, but in defense of our right to keep and bear arms. Gun grabbers seize upon every outrage and crime, so we must always be prepared to fight back to protect our Second Amendment rights. You know that Barack Obama and the gun control crowd will work every angle of this massacre as an excuse to restrict our rights. Please do two things today: pray for the victims and their families, and then prepare for a gun control onslaught like you’ve never seen before. Your continued engagement and activism could be the only thing that stands between our gun rights and President Obama’s coming gun control schemes.”
Congresswoman Terri Sewell represents Alabama’s Seventh Congressional District.
