Nine Shot and More than 350 Rounds Fired at Montgomery Party; Alabama Chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Respond 

MONTGOMERY, AL. — The Alabama chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statements in response to reports that nine people were shot early Sunday morning at a party in Montgomery, Alabama. With investigations still ongoing, the Montgomery Police Department estimated 362 rounds were fired at the people who were attending the party near the North Pass area of Montgomery, with the victims ranging from young individuals to adults. 

“Alabamians should be able to live without fear of being shot and we should be able to trust that our lawmakers will protect us – but neither of those is the case,” said Makayla Jordan, a volunteer leader with the University of Alabama Students Demand Action chapter. “Over and over, politicians have failed us. These senseless tragedies are taking the lives of so many young people in America and leaving the rest of us brutally traumatized. Gun violence is a preventable crisis and we need action in Alabama now.” 

“There’s absolutely no reason why a night out should devolve into gun violence. We should feel safe in our communities, but thanks to our lawmakers’ inaction, tragedies like this are all too common in our communities. We will continue to hold lawmakers accountable for the role they’ve played in enabling this violence,” said Paula Wilson, a volunteer with the Alabama chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Our leaders failed to pass stronger gun laws this session, only creating a world where anyone armed with deadly weapons can inflict irreparable damage with the pull of a trigger. We cannot bear the burdens of their inactions any longer.” 

Sunday’s tragedy comes as Alabama lawmakers adjourned their 2024 legislative session last month. HB36, common sense gun reform legislation that would ban the possession of pistols outfitted with devices that convert them into machine guns, passed the House Floor and Senate Judiciary Committee but was not taken up for a vote on the Senate Floor before Sine Die.

In an average year, 1,175 people in Alabama die by guns. With a rate of 23.9 deaths per 100,000 people, Alabama has the 4th-highest rate of gun deaths in the US. The rate of gun deaths has increased 45% from 2013 to 2022 in Alabama, compared to a 36% increase nationwide. This means that in 2022 there were 418 more gun deaths than in 2013. Gun violence costs Alabama $15.4 billion each year, of which $421.4 million is paid by taxpayers.