STATEMENT FROM: Randy B. Kelley, Chair of the Alabama Democratic Party
RE: Birthday Party Shooting in Dadeville, Alabama
The Birthday Party killings in Dadeville Alabama left all of us shocked; mothers and fathers are now without children, siblings are now without sisters and brothers, schoolmates, and playmates without friends. Lives are cut short for a lot of young people. The gun violence continues and issuing traditional statements of “thoughts and prayers” are with you but does not solve the problem.
We know what confronts us. Guns are too easy to obtain, and Alabama made it even easier with the passage of the act that gives unfettered opportunity to anyone that wants a gun, good, bad, or indifferent. The Alabama Democratic Party mourns the death of these young people and condemns those who sanction such loose opportunities to carry guns at will and shoot them in a split second. Unfortunately, Alabama has more restrictions on when one can kill a squirrel, rabbit, deer, or other animals than it does for human beings. If gun lovers spent as much time banning guns as they do banning books, many of our children would live to become adults, and our neighborhoods would be much safer.
Parents are scared; children cannot sleep at night. Friends are worried day in and day out about whether their children will return home from school every day. Places that were once safe havens are no longer safe. Churches, schools, family gatherings, and picnics are all in jeopardy. And now, Birthday Parties, even Sweet Sixteen, is no longer “sweet.”
The State of Alabama and those who endorse and embrace gun purchases without background checks must bear some of the responsibility for these tragedies. AR-15 and AK-47s are weapons of war, not hunting. No one should be allowed to purchase such weapons at any time. The Alabama Legislature, while it is in session, should repeal Permitless Carry Law.