Progress Iowa Executive Director Matt Sinovic issued the following statement in response to reports that three people were killed, including the suspect, in a shooting at Cornerstone Church in Ames tonight:
“Tonight’s news out of Ames is heartbreaking. It is tragic. It is gut wrenching. And it is completely unsurprising. We have politicians who have thrown up their hands to the plague of gun violence, and made the problem worse by normalizing weapons of war in our schools and churches.
“Everyone who actually gives a damn about the safety of our families and our neighbors should be demanding answers.
“Governor Reynolds, Senators Grassley and Ernst: how many more people have to die before you will take action? What you do now will be remembered by every Iowan who just wants to go to school and church without fearing for their life. If you refuse to act now, it will only cause more suffering.
“It’s time to take every possible action to prevent more tragedy. This is enough.”
Progress Iowa is a communications, research and advocacy organization that has consistently called for common sense gun laws. In 2018 they published Gun Violence in Iowa: A Cautionary Tale in conjunction with the Center for American Progress. And they renewed their call for Iowa lawmakers to strengthen gun laws earlier this year.
