Serbia Right In Response To Mass Shootings; Why Can’t GOP Do Likewise?
After his country’s second mass shooting in 48 hours that killed 17 adults and children, the president of Serbia pledged “an almost complete disarming” of the country, along with a host of new strict weapons control measures, including more frequent background checks on gun owners.
A few hours after America’s latest mass shooting left eight people dead, including the alleged shooter, at an Allen, Texas, mall. Footage taken after the gunman’s death appeared to show an AR-15 style rifle lying near his body but not one Republican lawmaker suggested that there are too many weapons in the U.S., including many extremely lethal, semi-automatic assault rifles.
In the U.S. so far this year there have been at least 198 mass shootings in which four or more people were killed or wounded, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Last month, there were mass shootings at a Louisville, Ky., bank, which killed five and injured multiple others, and a Nashville, Tenn., school, which killed six including three children. Five people in a small Texas town died in another mass shooting in late April.
The latest victims range in age from 5 to 51. Some witnesses described the gunman as dressed all in black and wearing combat gear.
Instead of addressing the amount and nature of weapons in the U.S., officials once again issued the hackneyed response of an “unspeakable tragedy” and extended “prayers” for the victims’ survivors.
The National Rifle Association (NRA), which opposes virtually all gun controls, tweeted soon after the Texas catastrophe that “no organization in the world does more to promote safe and responsible use of firearms than the NRA!” The tweet included a graphic that said the organization “trains 1 million Americans every year” alongside a picture of a rifle and bullets.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, tweeted that he was “grieving with the Allen community” and praised the quick response of “all of those involved in responding to this afternoon’s horrific incident.”
Cornyn, a strong trump supporter, previously introduced the “Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act” to provide interstate reciprocity for persons with concealed weapons permits.
“It’s like a driver’s license,” said Cornyn, who earned an “A+” rating from the NRA. “It doesn’t trump state laws. Say you have a carry permit in Texas; then you use it in another state that has a concealed-carry law.”
In 2022, in the wake of the Robb Elementary School shooting, when 19 fourth graders and two teachers were slain, Cornyn opposed further background check laws and those limiting the types of weapons that adults may purchase.
Most adults 21 or over in Texas are allowed to carry a handgun without a license, unless they have a previous conviction. In addition, there are few restrictions on possession of rifles and shotguns.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., an inflexible and stalwart opponent of gun controls, said the tragedy of mass shootings needs to be studied to find reasons and solutions. As far as solutions, she should save a lot of time and speak with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
Greene said “mental illness, drugs, and evil forces” are to blame for the Texas mall shooting and showed her sensitivity by re-tweeting a graphic video purportedly showing the deceased shooter lying in a pool of blood. “This is exactly what this monster deserves,” Greene tweeted.
Greene also offered more prayers.
“We pray for the victims and their families and an end to the mental illness, drugs, and evil forces that cause people to commit such horrors,” said Greene who called on the federal government to build more “mental hospitals” and drug rehab centers.
The latest conflagration occurred on Saturday afternoon at Allen Premium Outlets, a high-end mall near Dallas, Texas. Seven people were found dead at the scene and two more died after they were transported to area hospitals. Seven others were also injured. The alleged shooter was killed by a police officer at the mall on an unrelated call. The killer’s identity and motive remains unexplained.
Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, called for prayer in light of the mass shooting. As for those who don’t believe prayers are helpful, Self responded in an interview, “Well, those are people that don’t believe in an almighty god who is absolutely in control of our lives.”
Self, a former member of the Army Special Forces and Army Rangers, does not believe in the separation of church and state, and has said that his positions come solely from his “god.”
Self also said he wanted to avoid politicizing the killings but then pointed to alleged violence in “big cities” after being asked if he was concerned about the rise of violent incidents across the U.S. Allen, a suburb about 25 miles north of Dallas, is hardly a sleepy, southern hamlet, with a population of 106,874,
An analysis by Third Way, a public policy think tank, found that murder rates are higher in “Trump-voting red states” than “Biden-voting blue states.”
“Any time there is violence, whether it be in one of the big cities — riots or trashing of stores in Chicago — or shootings like this. This is a very safe area. This is not usual. I know that we hear about the numbers of deaths in Chicago. This is not usual in this area,” Self said, apparently unable to quell his need to spout one of the Republican Party’s key talking points about danger in blue cities. “So I’m certainly concerned about this.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott described the shooting as an “unspeakable tragedy” and said the state was ready to offer any assistance to local authorities, except limiting semi-automatic assault rifles.
To the contrary, after the Robb Elementary School shootings, Abbott tweeted that Texans should buy more guns and said that he was “embarrassed” that his state was ranked second in new gun sales.
“Let’s pick up the pace Texans,” Abbott wrote, tagging the NRA.
Last June, Abbott signed into law seven measures to expand gun rights, one of which allows people to legally carry handguns without licenses.
Allen Premium Outlets include 250 properties in 37 states and 14 countries. The company reported a net income of more than $6 billion. “Thoughts and prayers” were on the minds of the company in a statement after the shootings. There was no mention of unpopular, further gun controls, which in a state like Texas, would surely result in lower mall profits.
“We are horrified by the senseless tragedy at Allen Premium Outlets and are outraged by the violence that continues to plague our country. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and others affected by this heinous act. We are thankful for the Allen Police Officer’s heroic actions and for the support of all the first responders,” said the company statement.
If lawmakers followed the mood of the public, they would pass a nationwide ban on AR-15 semi-automatic weapons. A CBS poll of 2,065 adults, taken April 12–14, showed that 62 percent favor a nationwide ban on the AR-15 semi-automatic weapon.
The poll found that 76 percent of respondents believe that mass shootings could be prevented “ if we really tried.” Another finding is that 51 percent believe the country would be safer either if no one had guns or if fewer had guns than now.
A total of 61 percent of adults said they are frustrated with the current political debate over guns and gun laws and 48 percent see guns as making America “dangerous.”
The poll found that 38 percent of adults believe that Democratic policies put people more at risk from gun violence while 41 percent think Republican policies put people more at risk from gun violence.
The poll also asked parents of school-aged children if they were concerned about the possibility of gun violence at their children’s school. A total of 77 percent said they were either very concerned or somewhat concerned.
The N.Y. Times reported there has been no reprieve from mass shooting in 2023. In addition to the latest killings in Texas, a sampling of this year’s reported mass shootings include:
On May 3 in Atlanta, Ga., a gunman opened fire in a waiting room at a medical office building, killing one and injuring four others.
On May 1, in Henryetta, Okla., a registered sex offender fatally shot six people, including his wife and three of her children, before turning the gun on himself at his ranch in a small town south of Tulsa.
On April 28, in Cleveland, Texas, a man killed five people after he was asked by a neighbor to stop firing a gun in his yard.
On April 15, in Dadeville, Ala., four people were killed and 32 others were injured in a shooting at a birthday party at a dance studio.
On April 10, in Louisville, Ky., a 25-year-old man shot and killed five colleagues at the downtown bank where he worked. Eight others were wounded in the attack.
On March 27, in Nashville, Tenn., a heavily armed assailant shot and killed three children and three adults at a private Christian elementary school.
On Feb. 19, in Memphis, Tenn., 11 people were shot, one fatally, at two separate crime scenes that the authorities said they believed were connected.
On Feb. 17, in Tate County, Miss., a 52-year-old man went on a shooting rampage at multiple locations, killing six people, including his ex-wife and two siblings.
On Feb. 13, in East Lansing, Mich., three students were killed and five others were wounded in shootings at two buildings on the Michigan State University campus.
On Feb. 1, in Washington, D.C., a gunman attacked people on a bus and inside a Metro station in Southeast Washington before bystanders tackled him and officers took him into custody. A transit employee who tried to intervene was killed, and three other people were injured.
On Jan. 28, in Los Angeles, three people were killed and four others wounded in an early-morning shooting in an upscale neighborhood near Beverly Hills.
On Jan. 23, in Half Moon Bay, Calif., seven people were fatally shot and one suffered life-threatening injuries after a gunman opened fire at two separate farms.
On Jan. 21, in Monterey Park, Calif., a 72-year-old gunman killed 11 people and wounded at least nine others at a dance hall in a predominantly Asian American community as they celebrated the Lunar New Year.
On Jan. 16, in Goshen, Calif., four generations of a single family were fatally shot by two intruders inside a home in California’s San Joaquin Valley.
On Jan. 4, in Enoch, Utah, eight people, all in the same family, were killed inside a home in what the police said was a murder-suicide.