All of us at Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder PC mourn the tragic loss of life and serious injuries suffered by students at Brown University. We wish to express our heartfelt condolences to the families of Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umuzokov. We deeply lament the sorrow which you have been forced to endure and we yearn for a time, when your pain is overtaken by a sense of peace.
We also greatly wish for the speedy and full recovery from the life-threatening trauma, suffered by Jacob Spears and the other unnamed victims. We hope that you and your families can experience meaningful resumptions of the lives that you lived prior to this horrific event.
As expressed by so many, we are personally and intensely outraged by these heinous crimes. One of my KK&B colleagues and I are Brown University alumni. We have spent countless student hours at the scene of the murders. In addition, Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder PC has provided and continues to provide legal representation for families that have been victimized by mass shootings. Our personal ties to and legal representation of victims of the Sandy Hook massacre are examples.
The alleged shooter has been identified and located. Correspondingly, there has been a sense of relief by many. However, this latest development does not erase the outrage that accompanies our deep sadness. The USA has been identified as the developed nation that suffers the overwhelmingly greatest number of mass shootings and overall gun violence. This phenomenon alone should precipitate national gun reform. The fact that it is easier to obtain guns in some states than it is for many citizens to vote makes this circumstance all the more reprehensible.
During my freshman year at Brown, political science professors touted the essential nature of incremental change in America. Any progress in reigning in gun violence has moved so incrementally that it could be described as stagnant. The development of common-sense gun reform is long overdue. Giving weight to only one portion of the Second Amendment should no longer stand as an excuse for inaction.
In addition to these highly publicized mass shootings, less publicized shootings occur every day, throughout the nation. The tremendous flow of guns within our country has had devastating consequences in our urban, suburban and rural communities. It should alarm every man and woman in America that guns are the leading cause of death for our youths.
Enough is enough. The time has come to hold all parties accountable that contribute to this carnage. The time to appropriately honor the legacies of all victims of gun violence is long overdue. The time to act is NOW.
With Deep Sadness,
PT
Attorney Preston Tisdale is a Partner at law firm Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder and Brown University Alumnus, Class of 1973. He is Trustee Emeritus of the Brown Corporation and a Past President of the Brown Alumni Association. Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, based in Connecticut, is a nationally recognized law firm that has achieved landmark legal victories on behalf of victims of gun violence, civil rights violations, medical malpractice, and governmental abuse. The firm is committed to holding powerful institutions accountable and securing justice for individuals and communities harmed by negligence and injustice.