In four weekend shootings around the United States, at least ten people were killed
At least ten people were killed and more than two dozen others were injured in four separate shootings across the United States over the weekend, as politicians grapple with how to address the country’s long-running gun violence problem.
The shootings followed a string of mass killings that prompted increased calls for gun regulation reform in the United States.
An outburst of violence in Chattanooga, Tennessee on Sunday resulted in 14 people being shot, two of whom were killed, while another person died and two others were injured after being struck by fleeing vehicles, according to police chief Celeste Murphy, who added that “several” victims were still in critical condition.
The early-morning event happened near a nightclub.
Multiple people opened fire on a gathering at a prominent South Street entertainment area in Philadelphia on Saturday, killing two men and a woman.
One of the victims got into a dispute with another man, according to Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, which could have been the cause of the shooting.
She described the two others as “innocent bystanders.”
According to MLive.com and WEYI news, three individuals were killed and two more were injured in a shooting in Saginaw, Michigan, on Sunday.
In Clarendon County, South Carolina, police said in a statement that five teenagers and a 12-year-old were among seven persons wounded in a shooting at a graduation party on Saturday that killed one adult.
Cries for action
Gun violence is routine in the United States, but the shock of recent mass shootings at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, and an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, which killed 10 and 21 people, respectively, has prompted calls for action.
Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, has been working on reform measures with a bipartisan group of senators – a difficult task given that Republicans consistently oppose most sorts of gun regulation.
Senator Murphy said on Sunday that the group aimed to put together a bill that would garner at least ten Republican votes in addition to the expected support of practically every Democrat.
“I think the possibility of success is better than ever before,” he told CNN.
He predicted that the upcoming package will include “major mental health investment, school safety funding, and some minor but substantial reforms in gun regulations,” such as a broadening of background checks for gun purchases.
“Congress needs to do its job and approve basic regulations that would help stop this insanity,” said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly, who was furious.
“Mandatory background checks” and “prohibition of high-capacity magazines that allow gunmen to kill dozens of people without having to reload” were among his demands.
In addition to the massacres in Texas and New York, mass shootings have occurred at an Oklahoma hospital and a California church in recent weeks.
While Republicans have been successful in blocking most gun control proposals for years, several have recently spoken out in favor of the change.
The Dallas Morning News reported that more than 250 self-declared weapon aficionados, including donors to Republican Governor Greg Abbott, signed an open letter supporting bipartisan gun reform efforts in conservative, gun-loving Texas.
The letter, which was published as a full-page ad in the newspaper, backed expanding background checks, raising the age to buy weapons to 21, and enacting “red flag” regulations to keep guns out of the hands of persons who are believed to be violent.
Last Monday, US Vice President Joe Biden called for new gun control legislation. On Sunday, he reiterated his support for semi-automatic firearm limitations.
“If we can’t ban assault weapons as we should, we must at least raise the age to buy assault weapons to 21,” he tweeted.
According to a CBS News/YouGov poll released on Sunday, 62% of Americans support a nationwide ban on semi-automatic rifles. Background checks for all gun buyers (81 percent) and “red flag” regulations have even more support (72 percent).
According to the Gun Violence Archive, more than 18,000 individuals have died as a result of gun violence in the United States so far in 2022, including roughly 10,300 suicides.
AFP
