Steve Dettelbach, the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), in marking the 10th anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy this week, called the amount of gun violence in the United States “un-American” and vowed to keep up the work of the Biden administration in preventing more.
“It is wholly unlawful and it is wholly un-American for this level of firearm violence to be going on. So, what I say to … people out there who are railing against this, keep using your voices, we’re with you on this. We have to do better,” he said in an interview with The Hill at ATF headquarters.
He went to Newtown, Conn., three weeks ago to visit families impacted by the 2012 mass shooting that left 20 children and six teachers dead. He said he was inspired by the people he met to continue focusing on gun violence prevention.
In 2022, there have been more than 620 mass shootings nationwide, causing Americans to question if the country learned anything since Sandy Hook or if shootings are a part of American life.
“At ATF, we don’t accept that the level of firearms violence that we’re seeing is something that is part of our national story, something we just have to live with. I don’t accept that and neither should you,” he said.
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