Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie issued a statement Friday calling for a ban on assault weapons with high-capacity magazines and "appropriate gun safety legislation."
Lurie's statement came as Eagles players marked National Gun Violence Awareness Day by wearing orange practice jerseys to honor survivors and victims of gun violence.
The Eagles were not the only franchise to take part in National Gun Violence Awareness Day on Friday. The Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders also participated.
"Our hearts break for those who suffer through the trauma of losing a loved one to gun violence," Lurie said. "These unspeakable tragedies wreak havoc in our communities and continue to occur with alarming frequency. As we search for ways to effect positive change in our society, we pray for those grieving in Philadelphia and around our country.
"These senseless acts of violence will not cease to occur without a concerted effort from those who govern our nation and make public policy. As a country, we need to call upon our lawmakers to enact tangible change and address this public crisis through appropriate gun safety legislation. These horrific disasters continue to occur across the United States. That is completely unacceptable and disheartening. We are faced with an epidemic plaguing our communities, and my hope is that we can influence our elected officials to create and pass legislation so the people in this country can feel safe when they leave their homes.
"Enough is enough! Assault weapons loaded with high-capacity magazines are a clear threat to public safety and should be banned. Furthermore, research shows that if a federal ban was still in place for assault weapons, there would be 70 percent fewer mass shooting deaths. Additionally, a mandatory universal background check could have a significant impact on mass shootings by ensuring that these dangerous firearms are not getting into the wrong hands."
Speaking at the White House on Thursday, President Joe Biden delivered an address to the nation imploring Congress to take action against gun violence after mass shootings he said had turned schools, supermarkets and other everyday places into "killing fields."
"How much more carnage are we willing to accept?" Biden asked after last week's shootings by an 18-year-old gunman, who killed 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and another attack Wednesday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where a gunman shot and killed four people and himself at a medical office.
"Our hearts are broken tonight," the league said in a statement on May 24 following the Uvalde shooting. "The NFL family grieves with the families of the children and teacher, and the entire Uvalde community, after today's horrifying tragedy. We wholeheartedly pledge the NFL's support."
The most recent shootings came on the heels of the May 14 assault in Buffalo, New York, where a white 18-year-old opened fire with a rifle at a supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood, killing 10 people and wounding three others in what authorities described as "racially motivated violent extremism."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
