Mamdani calls for gun control following shooting at Brown University despite Rhode Island's strict gun laws

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani renewed calls for gun control following the deadly shooting at Brown University, arguing that there is a “cure” to ending gun violence in the US if “we so choose.”

“Two people were killed this evening at Brown University by a gunman who remains at large. Eight others are injured, fighting for their lives in a nearby hospital,” Mamdani wrote on X. “This senseless violence—once considered unfathomable—has become nauseatingly normal to all of us across our nation. Tonight, on the eve of the anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting, we find ourselves in mourning once again.”

He continued, “The epidemic of gun violence stretches across America. We reckon with it when we step into our houses of worship and out onto our streets, when we drop our children off at kindergarten and when we fear if those children, now grown, will be safe on campus. But unlike so many other epidemics, we possess the cure. We have the power to eradicate this suffering from our lives if we so choose. I send my deepest condolences to the families of the victims, and to the Brown and Providence communities, who are wrestling with a grief that will feel familiar to far too many others.”

“May we never allow ourselves to grow numb to this pain, and let us rededicate ourselves to the enduring work of ending the scourge of gun violence in our nation,” Mamdani added.

The shooting occurred during a final exam review session at the university. Two students were confirmed dead and nine others were injured, according to authorities. A person of interest has been taken into custody.

The attack took place despite Rhode Island having some of the strictest gun laws in the country, including a ban on magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds. Earlier this year, Governor Dan McKee signed a so-called assault weapons ban that will make firearms falling under the definition illegal to purchase, transfer, or manufacture beginning in July of next year.

Mamdani has been an outspoken critic of guns in the United States since becoming a citizen. In 2022, he posted on X, “We need to ban all guns.” During his mayoral campaign, he faced backlash for his strong anti-gun stance while also drawing scrutiny over a lavish wedding in Uganda, where the estate was reportedly guarded by more than 20 armed security personnel, some wearing masks.

On Sunday, Mamdani also commented on a separate shooting at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Australia that killed at least 11 people. He described the attack as a “vile act of antisemitic terror” and said, “When I am Mayor, I will work every day to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe—on our streets, our subways, at shul, in every moment of every day. Let this be a purpose shared by every New Yorker, and let us banish this horrific violence to the past.”