Statement From PETA re Georgia School Shooting Suspect’s Hunting History

For Immediate Release:
September 9, 2024

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Below, please find a statement from PETA Vice President of Youth Programs Marta Holmberg in response to reports that Colin Gray, the father of suspected Georgia school shooter Colt Gray, encouraged his son to hunt and called the day he shot a deer for the first time “the greatest day ever”:

When Colin Gray cheered his son, Colt, on after he slaughtered a vulnerable animal, he sent him the message that it’s acceptable—and even laudable—to take the life of other sentient beings, desensitizing him to killing. Amid an epidemic of youth violence, it’s crucial to teach children that all living, feeling beings deserve respect, and PETA’s humane education division, TeachKind, will be sending empathy-building curricula to the schools in Winder, Georgia.

PETA notes that Sandy Hook Promise includes cruelty to animals on its list of “10 Critical Warning Signs of Violence,” and research shows that approximately 43% of school shooters first committed acts of cruelty against animals—so animal abusers potentially pose a serious threat to communities at large. TeachKind resources are easy to integrate into schools’ existing curricula to help prevent future violence.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. TeachKind offers free presentations, lessons, and other resources to help teachers add compassion to their curricula. For more information, please visit TeachKind.org or follow the group on Facebook or Instagram.