We are saddened and outraged by the senseless loss of life during the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, this week. So many lives were cut short, so many whose lives were just beginning. We grieve with the families and community touched by this horrifying tragedy.

The United States is the only developed country with an excessively prevalent school & mass-shooting problem. We urge our elected officials to immediately cease using “mental illness” to constantly deflect and hamper discussion on every path forward that would save lives. This is grossly egregious especially when you have failed to create policy around that issue as well, such as mandatory police training on de-escalation techniques for neuro-divergent individuals or red flag laws. Stop denying the lives saved and the minimization of harm that have already been demonstrated in societies that have passed MAJOR gun reform laws. Thoughts and prayers are not enough. We demand meaningful, life-saving policy change.

As Texans we are deeply offended that our legislature has moved in the opposite direction by stripping away common sense protection measures. As Secular Humanists we demand that politicians of all parties strengthen protections against gun violence by passing measures such as banning the sale of assault weapons, raising minimum age requirements, and requiring background checks, training, licensing and liability insurance for all gun owners.

Freethinkers Association of Central Texas (FACT) stands with the victims of this heinous act, and the countless others that have come before. We advocate for evidence-based policy change, education and regulation. Only through action can we prevent tragedies like this from occurring in the future.