In the past month: six Asian churchgoers were victims in a mass shooting in California: ten people of color were murdered in a mass shooting at a buffalo supermarket: and just last week nineteen children and two teachers were killed in Uvalde, Texas. In the past ten years, there have been 22 mass shootings with 374 victims across a dozen states. Texas leads the cities in mass shootings with at least five separate incidents within a decade span raising concerns for the state and its laws on guns. These people were taken from their families, robbed of a fair chance to see their life through, gone.
To many Americans, the shootings were all hate crimes to the highest degree, and in no way should a human be allowed to carry heavy-artillery automatic weapons. Guns with large magazines and the propensity to tear down moving vehicles. Something is terribly wrong with the climate of the US and it needs to be not only addressed but handled swiftly.
An 18-year-old boy drove 200 miles with an automatic rifle to a buffalo supermarket mostly filled with minorities. He murdered those people and recorded it on video broadcasting it to the world. This is on live national television being shown to citizens while they eat breakfast in their homes.
No one should be able to have a good day after seeing monsters display evil. There will be no nationwide progress on gun control without action and most importantly united action. The government must put its staggering pride to the side and come to a consensus on this disease known as gun violence. The temptation itself is evident but, once it is mixed with hate and prejudice, evil begins to breed.
Two years ago a congress bill was formed that would help perform proper and denser background checks to prevent the sale of weapons to possible gunmen across America, however, it’s been tabled for two years. Maybe it is time it’s revisited.
The buffalo suspect was 18 when he intentionally purchased the weapon used in the shooting. He visited a hospital for mental health last year but he did not trigger New York’s “red flag” law, which allowed him to buy the weapon.
His own mother has stated that he can be “aggressive” and made her feel “uneasy”.
The Uvalde suspect was also 18 and purchased two guns, one of them being an AR-15 Rifle. These are guns used for war….why are they used for anything other than that. An 18-year-old can go to a store and purchase a gun but can’t purchase cigarettes or alcohol!? Clearly, the priorities of America are misplaced and the citizens have had enough of it.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr shed light on the recent shootings saying that “We can get numb to this.” He added no more “moments of silence” with no action in an emotional speech for change at an NBA press conference the day of Game 4 of this year’s western conference finals. This shows how far these situations can reach and how people feel which is needed as silence has become a place of comfortability in the American experience.
Written by Mikal Eggleston
Edited by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
AP News: 22 mass shootings. 374 dead. Here’s where the guns came from; by Michael R. Sisak
The New York Times: Uvalde, Buffalo and the semiautomatic Weapons Terrorize us; by Mary B. McCord
Featured Image Courtesy of Kkurunashima’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inline Image Courtesy of Randychiu’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
