At least four student organizations have released statements condemning the mass shooting in Las Vegas in the days following the violence.
The Las Vegas shooting, which occurred during an outdoor country music festival, claimed at least 59 lives and sent more than 500 people to local hospitals, CNN reported.
In a Facebook statement Monday, the Student Association said it stood in solidarity with those affected by the shooting and encouraged students to attend a vigil Monday night in Kogan Plaza, where students mourned the loss of the victims.
“We are proud of our GW students’ initiative in leading the response to the heartbroken and deadly shooting in Las Vegas last night,” SA leaders wrote in the statement.
Colonials Demand Action, a student group that lobbies for gun violence prevention, said in a statement Tuesday that the shooting was a “tragedy of unspeakable proportions” and called on policymakers to enact gun violence reforms.
“The fact of the matter is, common sense gun violence prevention legislation can and will save lives all across the country,” the group wrote in the statment. “It might not prevent every shooting, but even if it saves just a few lives, then it is worth it.”
The gunman used multiple semi-automatic weapons to fire into the concert crowd for at least 10 minutes, The New York Times reported.
“We need to act to prevent the next Newtown, the next Orlando and the next Las Vegas. We need to stand up and show the gun lobby and Congress that we have had enough,” the statement read. “Unless something is done to deal with America’s gun violence epidemic, our churches, our schools, our movie theaters and our streets will continue to be under attack.”
The GW College Democrats also called for gun control reforms in a statement Monday.
“Condolences do not prevent more carnage. We must hold our elected officials accountable to enact gun control legislation now,” the statement read. “Let’s honor the lives lost by demanding a safer world free of senseless acts of violence.”
The GW College Republicans said in a Facebook post that the group’s “thoughts and prayers” were with the victims of the shooting.
“We must put politics aside and lend our prayers and support to those impacted by this horrific event,” the Republicans wrote in the post Monday.
