Do recent mass shootings justify stricter gun laws?
A spate of school shootings has occurred in the United States over the last two decades, igniting a discussion about gun control laws and student safety. Since 2000, a number of school shootings have been reported.
On Tuesday, a shooter opened fire at a South Texas primary school, killing 19 pupils and two instructors.
The shooting at Robb Elementary School has fueled calls for gun control in the United States, which has experienced more than 900 incidents involving gunfire on school campuses in the last decade.
Below is a list of recent mass shootings:
BUFFALO, May 14, 2022 – In a racially motivated incident, a white shooter killed ten Black persons inside a grocery. He was arrested and is being held in jail without bail.
NEW YORK CITY, April 12, 2022 – A 62-year-old man detonated a smoke bomb and opened fire on a subway, injuring 23 people in one of the most brutal attacks in the history of New York's transit system. The following day, he was arrested.
OXFORD, Nov. 30, 2021 - A teenager opened fire at a high school in Oxford, Michigan on November 30, 2021, killing four pupils and injuring seven more.
LOS ANGELES, March 31, 2021 – A shooting at an office building in suburban Los Angeles killed four individuals, one of whom was a toddler, before the culprit was apprehended.
BOULDER, March 22, 2021 - 10 individuals were killed in a mass shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado on March 22, 2021, including a police officer.
ATLANTA, March 16, 2021 – A wave of shootings at day spas in and around Atlanta killed eight people, including six Asian women. A male suspect has been apprehended.
MILWAUKEE, Feb. 26, 2020 – Before committing suicide, a shooter opened fire at the Molson Coors Beverage Co brewing complex in Milwaukee, killing five coworkers.
DAYTON, Aug. 4, 2019 - A gunman wearing body armor opened fire in downtown Dayton, Ohio, killing nine people, including his sister. The shooter was slain by police.
EL PASO, Aug. 3, 2019 - A man fatally shot 22 people at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, on August 3, 2019. Authorities detained the gunman after receiving a statement from the suspect that described the incident as "a retaliation to the Hispanic invasion of Texas."
VIRGINIA BEACH, May 31, 2019 – A disgruntled public utility employee opened fire on coworkers at a Virginia municipal office, killing 12 people before being shot and killed by authorities.
AURORA, Feb. 15, 2019 - After being fired, a man opened fire at an Illinois workplace, murdering five people before being shot by police.
THOUSAND OAKS, Nov. 7, 2018 - A former Marine combat veteran killed 12 people in a club in Thousand Oaks, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, on November 7, 2018. He then committed suicide.
PITTSBURGH, Oct. 27, 2018 – A gunman opened fire on attendees gathered for a Sabbath service at the Tree of Life synagogue outside Pittsburgh, killing 11 people.
SANTA FE, May 18, 2018 – Before surrendering to cops, a 17-year-old student opened fire at his high school near Houston, Texas, killing nine pupils and a teacher.
PARKLAND, Feb. 14, 2018 - A former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, massacred 17 classmates and staff on February 14, 2018.
SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Nov. 5, 2017 – A guy has been deported from the United States. Before shooting himself, an Air Force officer who had beaten his wife and child fatally murdered 26 people at a rural Texas church where his in-laws attended.
LAS VEGAS, Oct. 1, 2017 – A gunman opened fire from a 32nd-floor hotel suite on a country music festival, killing 58 people before taking his own life.
ORLANDO, June 12, 2016 – A shooter opened fire at Pulse, a homosexual nightclub, killing 49 people before being shot by police.
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., Dec. 2, 2015 – A husband and wife slaughtered 14 people at a company holiday party in San Bernardino, California, before being shot and killed by police.
ROSEBURG, OREGON – A shooter stalked onto an Oregon college campus and started fire, murdering nine people before being shot and killed by authorities.
CHARLESTON, June 17, 2015 - A white supremacist killed nine Black churchgoers in a church in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17, 2015. He was given the death penalty.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2013 – At the Washington Navy Yard, a former Navy reservist working as a government contractor killed 12 people. Police fatally shot him.
NEWTOWN, Dec. 14, 2012 – A heavily armed gunman opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, killing 26 people, including 20 children aged five to ten.
AURORA, COLORADO, JULY 20, 2012 – A masked gunman opened fire at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 people. He was given several life sentences.
FORT HOOD, Texas, November 5, 2009 – An army major and a psychiatrist opened fire at Fort Hood, a U.S. military installation. 13 people were killed at an army post in Texas.
Present day - May 2022
One of America's bloodiest mass shootings occurred once again in Texas.
As the tragedy in Uvalde thrusts the United States into yet another discussion about gun violence, Texas and its Republican-controlled legislature have already revealed what is likely to happen next: absolutely nothing that would restrict gun access.
Following the shooting in Texas, President Joe Biden doubled his efforts Tuesday evening. In a White House address, he asked, "When in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby?”
The massacre in Texas occurred only days before the annual convention of the National Rifle Association in Houston, where Texas Governor Greg Abbott and other Republican officials are slated to speak.
The GOP-controlled Legislature voted exactly one year before the Uvalde shooting to repeal one of the last significant gun regulations in Texas: mandated licenses, background checks, and training for the state's approximately 1.6 million registered handgun owners at the time.
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