BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana native singer-songwriter John Mellencamp called on news media “to be brave enough to let Americans see what slaughtered children look like,” in a statement on gun control posted in the wake of a deadly shooting that occurred after the conclusion of a Super Bowl celebration parade in Kansas City.
Mellencamp, who lives in Bloomington, said he broke his silence “out of love for this country and the pain of learning, once again, that children have been killed by gun violence.”
Things to know about the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration
On Wednesday, a large gathering meant to be a joyous celebration turned into mass chaos after a mother was killed and 22 people injured when gunfire broke out in a throng of revelers who had gathered at a rally to celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory. More than half of the 22 injured people were children under the age of 16, police said .
“If we as a country want to find the collective will within ourselves to change our gun laws, let’s stop playing silly political games,” Mellencamp wrote. “Show the carnage on the news. Show the American people the dead children and others who have been struck down. Show us what guns and bullets can do to the human body.”