Gun Violence Tracker

Take Action On Gun Violence

Causes.com is your source for up-to-date information about gun violence and efforts to pass stricter legislation--or loosen rules for gun ownership.

We'll provide the latest info on legal battles, incidents of gun violence, and battles to keep our children and communities safe. Take Action Now: Tell your reps if you support or oppose stricter gun laws.

Access the latest information on guns in America here...

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Multiple Mass Shootings Over Halloween Weekend

October 30, 2023

• There was a string of deadly mass shootings over the weekend in several U.S. cities, leaving at least 11 people dead and 76 injured.
• The Gun Violence Archive reported 12 mass shootings – defined as when at least four victims are killed or injured – between Friday and Sunday, the popular pre-Halloween weekend. Many of the shootings took place at large gatherings Saturday night into early Sunday morning.

Tell your representatives to start saving lives and pass common-sense gun control measures now

 

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Maine Shooting Suspect Found Dead

October 30, 2023

• The body of the suspect in the Maine shooting, Robert R. Card, was found at a recycling center he used to work at with a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Friday, according to authorities. This ended the sweeping manhunt and the stay-at-home order on thousands of residents in the area. 
• Officials expressed relief that the suspect is no longer at large. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) said:

"It will take a long, long time to process this pain, but Maine people have grit, resolve and heart and we will come together through this difficult grieving period and hope for brighter, calmer days."

Tell your reps to take action on gun control now

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Shooting in Lewiston, Maine, Claims 18 Lives

October 26, 2023

• Over 18 people have died in a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, a city of 37,000. The suspected gunman is still on the loose. 
• This is the deadliest mass shooting recorded in 2023. 
• The towns of Lewiston, Auburn, Lisbon, and Bowdoin are under a "shelter in place" order.
• Maine is ranked 40th out of the 50 states in terms of its gun death rate. Maine had 29 recorded homicides in 2022, highlighting the impact of last night's attack.
• In addition to the people killed, 30 others were injured.

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Shooting at Bar in California Leaves Four Dead, Including Gunman

August 24, 2023

(Photo Credit: Handout)

• Four people, including the gunman, have been killed and six injured during a shooting at Cook's Corner bar in Orange County, California. Two of the injured are in critical condition.
• Cook's Corner is a popular stop for bikers driving through the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains. Children and families are welcome. The shooting took place at 7:00 p.m., during an $8 spaghetti night and live rock show. 
• The shooter has been identified as 59-year-old John Snowling, a former officer with the Ventura Police Department. It has been confirmed that he was targeting his wife.
• Senator Dave Min (D-Calif.) said:

"Our district is one of the safest areas in the country, and yet we too are repeatedly afflicted with the scourge of mass shootings."

• California's Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said his office is monitoring the situation from Sacramento and coordinating with local officials.

Don't wait until the next shooting - Tell your representatives to implement gun safety laws NOW

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Mass Shooting in Georgia Leaves Four Dead

July 26, 2023

(Photo Credit: Hampton Police Department via CP24)

• A shooting near the Dogwoods Lake subdivision in Hampton, Georgia, left four people dead on Saturday morning.
• Three males and one female were shot and killed by suspect Andre Longmore, but their names have not been released to the public.
• Longmore was shot and killed by police in Clayton County, near Atlanta. A sheriff's deputy and police officer were injured during an exchange of gunfire with Longmore. He was shot dead at a townhouse complex next to a high school.

Don't wait until the next shooting - Tell your representatives to implement gun safety laws NOW

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Devastating Gun Violence Continues Over July 4 Weekend

July 5, 2023

• The Fourth of July long weekend saw a string of mass shootings across the country.
• Five people were killed in the Kingsessing neighborhood of Philadelphia on Monday night when a heavily armed gunman in a bulletproof vest opened fire at random with an "AR-type" rifle.
• On Monday night, three people were killed, and eight were injured in a shooting hours after the ComoFest festival in Fort Worth. Police have confirmed that shots were fired into a crowd of hundreds of people, and several victims were found in a parking lot. One of the victims is a juvenile, but their age has not been released.
• A shooting at a Sunday block party in South Baltimore left two dead and 28 injured. According to police, over a dozen victims were under 18. Police are still investigating and have not released a list of the suspects. They have confirmed that there was more than one shooter.

Demand your reps take action on gun violence

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Looking Back: Gun Violence in the 2022-2023 School Year

June 23, 2023

• As another school year ends, the impact of gun violence on American children and families is increasingly difficult to ignore. Communities across the nation are mourning those who lost their lives while learning, teaching, and protecting. 
• During the school year, the U.S. saw 47 school shootings. Eighteen of those shootings resulted in death. Twenty-six people did not survive the academic year due to gun violence on school grounds, and 17 were children.

Don't wait until the next school shooting - Tell your representatives to implement gun safety laws NOW

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School Shooting In Bosnia Highlights Gun Violence in Balkans

June 16, 2023

• On June 14, one month after two mass shootings shocked neighboring Serbia, a 13-year-old shot his former teacher at an elementary school in Bosnia.
• The 38-year-old teacher has been identified as Ismet Osmanovic. He worked at Lukavac Elementary School and was seriously wounded. He is in a stable condition but remains in critical care.
• The identity of the shooter has not been released, but police confirmed that he was expelled from the school earlier this year for unruly behavior.
• The Mayor of Lukavac, Edin Delic, posted on Facebook, "There are no children [wounded], so I ask parents to control their panic. The perpetrator is a minor child, and he was immediately arrested. A difficult day."

What can we do as a global community to reduce gun violence?

 

• Tragedy struck at a high school graduation ceremony in Virginia, where a student and his stepfather lost their lives, and five others were injured in a targeted shooting. 
• Renzo Smith, 36, was celebrating his stepson Sean D. Jackson's, 18, graduation when both men were shot and killed. Additionally, a nine-year-old girl, said to be related to the family, was hit by a vehicle during the ensuing chaos but suffered only minor injuries.
• The shooting occurred shortly after the graduation ceremony for Huguenot High School at Altria Theater in Richmond on Tuesday evening. Families and graduates were leaving the theater when at least eight shots were fired from Monroe Park, directly opposite the theater.
• People scrambled to escape, carrying young children and seeking refuge in nearby buildings.
• The five individuals injured in the attack have since recovered and are in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.

Demand your reps take action on gun violence

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National Gun Violence Awareness Day: Highlighting the International Response

June 2, 2023

 

June 2 is National Gun Violence Awareness Day, an appropriate time to reflect on the choices we have - and haven't - made as a nation in the battle against gun violence.

As a nation, Canada subscribes to many of the same grandiose values that make firearms a fixture in America: sweeping narratives of the great outdoors, self-reliance, and the often illusory "battle" of human vs. nature. 

But, by and large, we don't elevate guns to such symbolic heights, nor do we culturally imbue them with sociocultural meaning.

In the U.S., guns are a symbol of the value of freedom itself.

But I have to ask myself, is the freedom to own a firearm more pressing than the freedom to attend school, work, and places of worship without persistent fear? 

With 46% of the world's guns (and only 5% of its population), there is no denying that the awe around guns and their necessity to the national character is a deeply entrenched problem in America.

 

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Poll Finds More Americans Value Gun Control Over Gun Ownership

May 24, 2023

• An NPR poll conducted on the anniversary of the Uvalde, Texas, shooting — the second-deadliest in U.S. history — has found that more Americans favor gun control legislation over gun rights legislation.
• The poll of 1,300 Americans shows the greatest support of pro-gun-control responses in a decade and reflects growing support for stricter gun control in the face of rising violence.
• Overall, 41% say they or someone they know has experienced gun violence. That being said, the responses were mixed and reflect a larger lack of cultural consensus on gun control.
• Six in ten respondents say controlling and targeting gun violence is more important than protecting gun rights.
• When hearing about a new mass shooting, 62% of respondents say their first reaction is that the country needs stricter gun laws.
• 18% of Republicans think teachers should carry guns.

How do you feel about the results of the poll?

 

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Should We Ban Assault Weapons? - Assault Weapons Ban of 2023 - S.25

May 22, 2023

• Introduced: January 1, 2023, by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
• The bill bans the sale, manufacture, transfer, and importation of 205 military-style assault weapons by name.
• It exempts more than 2,200 guns from the ban, which can still be used for hunting, household defense, or recreational purposes.
• It shall be unlawful for a person to import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semi-automatic assault weapon.
• It requires a background check on any future sale, trade, or gifting of an assault weapon banned under the bill.
• It will impose secure storage procedures for grandfathered semi-automatic assault weapons like a trigger lock.
• Anyone in possession of a grandfathered weapon can not keep it in a place where it is accessible to an individual prohibited from possessing the firearm.

Are we doing enough to address gun violence?

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Far Right Gunman Kills 8 in Texas Mall

May 8, 2023

• A gunman opened fire at a mall in Allen, Texas, outside of Dallas on Saturday, May 6, killing at least eight people and injuring seven.
• Authorities reported the police killed the attacker on site. Brian E. Harvey, the chief of police in Allen, said the gunman, 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia, acted alone. Investigators are looking into the shooter's potential links to the far right.
• Garcia wore a clothing patch with the letters "RWDS," which federal authorities say stands for "Right Wing Death Squad." The phrase is popular among right-wing extremists and white supremacists.
• He used an AR-15-style rifle, which GOP House members proposed designating as the National Rifle of America. The bill, introduced in February, wants to acknowledge the place of the AR-15 in American life and make it a national symbol.
• The victims of the Allen shooting are aged five to 61. Three are in critical condition, and four are in stable condition.
• This was the second-deadliest shooting of the year, following the Monterey Park, CA, massacre, which killed 11.

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Serbian President Promises Action After Back-To-Back Shootings

May 12, 2023

• Serbia is consumed with grief and disbelief after two back-to-back shootings in a country that rarely experiences mass gun violence.
• The first shooting took place at Vladisav Ribnikar Elementary School in Belgrade on Wednesday, May 3, when the suspect, a thirteen-year-old boy, opened fire with pistols he had taken from his father's home. He also came armed with four homemade Molotov cocktails.
• Eight children — seven girls and one boy — and a security guard were killed.
• The police have released more information on the shooting, saying that the suspect, identified as Kosta Kecmanović, had planned the attack in advance and had written a list of children he wanted to kill.
• The second shooting took place in the villages of Mladenovac and Dubona, 37 miles from Belgrade.
• Eight people were killed, and fourteen were injured.
• President Aleksandar Vucic vowed to introduce a raft of new legislation to stem the threat of growing gun violence. He wants to create a moratorium on new gun licenses not intended for hunting and establish enhanced surveillance of shooting ranges. 

What can we do as a global community to reduce gun violence?

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1 in 5 Adults Have Lost a Family Member to Gun Violence

April 24, 2023

• New research has found just how much gun violence impacts the nation's mental health, suggesting that the shootings have negative impacts beyond the direct survivors and community and into the broader population of Americans. 
• A recent study from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that gun violence has impacted most families in the U.S. — just over half of all adults have a connection to at least one firearm-related incident. Nearly one in five adults have had a family member killed by a gun or has been personally threatened with a gun, and about one in six has witnessed someone being shot.  
• Black adults are around twice as likely as white or Hispanic adults to have a family member killed by a gun or witness a gunshot injury. A third of Black and Hispanic adults worry daily that one of their family members will be a victim of gun violence — nearly three times the share of white adults. 
• The survey found that about four in 10 adults, including those with children, live in a household with guns. Of this subgroup, 75% said their firearms are stored in a way that does not reflect standard gun safety practices.

Demand your representatives take action on gun violence NOW

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Six People Arrested in Alabama Sweet 16 Shooting

April 21, 2023

• Six people have been charged with reckless murder in connection to the Sweet 16 shooting. Investigators said in court documents that they believe five of those charged were present at the party on April 15 and "discharged firearms into the crowd," killing four people.  
• Tyreese "Ty Reik" McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16, were arrested on Tuesday. Wilson LaMar Hill Jr. was arrested Wednesday. Johnny Letron Brown and Willie George Brown Jr. were arrested Thursday.
• Given the death toll of four and the injury count of thirty-two partygoers, more charges are expected to be filed.
• The teen suspects will be tried as adults, according to Fifth Circuit District Attorney Mike Segrest. 

Demand your reps take action on gun violence

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Recent Shootings Bring Light To Controversial ‘Stand Your Ground' Laws

April 20, 2023

• Stand-your-ground laws are based on the principle of the “castle doctrine,” which gives individuals the right to use reasonable, even deadly, force to protect themselves against someone on their property.
• Stand your ground laws are an extension of this rule, saying people have the right to stand their ground during an attack and have no duty to retreat. This solidifies the right to kill a person if one believes they pose a grave threat.
• The shootings of Ralph Yarl, a Black teen in Kansas City, and Kaylin Gillis, a young white woman in upstate New York, have dug up scrutiny of the “stand your ground” self-defense laws.
• Both young people were shot for mistakenly appearing at the wrong addresses.
• Investigators of Yarl’s case are considering whether or not 84-year-old Andrew Lester, the man who shot 16-year-old Yarl, was acting in self-defense, which sparked outrage and protests. While the prosecutors announced that Lester was charged with armed assault, the man is still using stand-your-ground laws to defend himself in court.
• The self-defense law became hotly debated in 2012 when George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin, a Black 17-year-old walking from his father’s home to a local convenience store. Zimmerman said he felt threatened by the teen, who was unarmed. A Florida jury acquitted Zimmerman on account of the stand-your-ground laws. 

Want to see 'stand your ground' laws repealed? Contact your representatives

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Kansas City Man Charged in Shooting Black Teen, Ralph Yarl

April 18, 2023

• Last Thursday, 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot when he was trying to pick up his two younger twin brothers but got the address wrong in Kansas City, Missouri. Yarl accidentally knocked on 84-year-old Andrew Lester's door, who then shot the Black teen twice — once in the head and once in the arm.
• Yarl's father said his son was released from the hospital Sunday evening. He is expected to make a full recovery.
• The prosecutor, Zachary Thompson, said it was evident that the teen did not "cross the threshold" into Lester's home. The gunshots were fired through a glass door, and there was no indication that "any words were exchanged."
• Lester, who is white, was taken into custody by police and was released without charges on Friday. On Monday, after protests and anger spread throughout the community, Lester was then charged with assault in the first degree, a class-A felony, and could face life in prison. He was also charged with armed criminal action, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. 

Demand your representatives take action on gun reform now.

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Alabama Sweet 16 Shooting Kills Four as Gun Violence Consumes the Nation

April 21, 2023

• Four people were killed and 28 were injured by a gunman who attacked a Sweet 16 party in Dadeville, Alabama, on Saturday, April 15. At least 15 of the wounded and three of the deceased are teenagers. 
• The shooter is still at large. The Dadeville Police Department said they have "solid leads" but are asking the public to provide any information about the assailant. 
• Dadeville, a close-knit community of just 3,000 people, is engulfed in grief and confusion. Two of the victims — Philstavious Dowdell and KeKe Smith — were seniors at Dadeville High School on the brink of graduation and heading off to college. Dowdell was the brother of the 16-year-old celebrating her birthday. 
• Local pastor Ben Hayes, who is also the chaplain for the Dadeville Police Department and the Dadeville High School football team, said: 

"It's a very close, tight-knit community. Everybody knows everybody. That's why this is so difficult. I knew these kids personally. Most people did."

Demand your reps take action on gun violence

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Louisville Shooting Gun Will Be Auctioned Off

April 12, 2023

• Officials say the gun, a legally purchased AR-15-style rifle, used in the fatal shooting in Louisville will most likely be auctioned off to the public.
• Under Kentucky law, confiscated guns, including those used in homicide cases, are returned to state police and then can be purchased at public auctions. All the auctioned-off guns have a warning label: "Deadly weapons like this one caused 146 homicides by a gunshot wound in Louisville in 2022. Fourteen of those deaths were children." 
• Mayor Greenberg criticized this law at a news conference after the shooting:

"Under current Kentucky law, the assault rifle that was used to murder five of our neighbors and shoot at rescuing police officers will one day be auctioned off. Think about that. That murder weapon will be back on the streets."

Tell your reps to pass gun control now

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5 Dead and 6 Injured After Louisville Shooting

April 12, 2023

• On April 10, a shooting in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, left five people dead and six injured. The Louisville Metro Police Department said the suspected shooter is dead, and there is no longer an active threat in the area.
• The shooting occurred at the Old National Bank Building across from Louisville Slugger Field, a minor league baseball stadium. Earlier that morning, police reported an “active aggressor” in the area and urged people to stay away from the site.
• FBI special agents, officials at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and state law enforcement are investigating the shooting.

Tell your reps to pass gun control now

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Three Tennessee Lawmakers Face House Expulsion For Anti-Gun Activism

April 7, 2023

• Three Tennessee representatives are facing expulsion from the Republican-dominated House after attending gun control protests on the chamber floor following the Covenant School shooting in Nashville.
• Democratic Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin J. Pearson, and Justin Jones are at risk of being expelled from the General Assembly for their part in the anti-gun protests.
• During the protest, the three reps held up a sign that said, “Protect kids, not guns,” and used a megaphone to demand stricter gun laws.

Contact your reps and demand justice for the Tennessee three

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Nashville School Shooting: What We Know and What We Don’t

March 29, 2023

• Nashville is mourning after the shooting at a private Christian elementary school where three children and three adults were killed.
• The shooter was a former student, Audrey E. Hale, who lived in the area. Hale was shot and killed by the Metro Nashville Police Department on-site.
• The victims are Evelyn Dieckhause, 9; William Kinney, 9; Hallie Scruggs, 9; Mike Hill, 61; Cynthia Peak, 61; and Katherine Koonce, 60.
• Hale arrived at the school with an AR-style rifle, an AR-style pistol, and a handgun, all obtained legally and locally. Sources close to Hale said the 28-year-old was a “quiet” art student who may have been fueled by “resentment” toward the former school, The Covenant School.
• As of late March, the Gun Violence Archive counted 130 mass shootings so far this year in the U.S. Last year, the group counted 647. 

Donate to those affected by the Nashville school shooting

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We Must Stand Together To Protect Our Kids

March 30, 2023

"Guns are way too easy to get. Firearms are the direct enabler of an epidemic of violence that is killing our youth. Everywhere. Gun violence affects everyone—from families in our inner cities to those in our rural communities. And it’s only getting worse. 

There have been more than 130 mass shootings in America in 2023. And the number of mass shootings is on the rise--in the last three years, there have been more than 600 mass shootings. That’s almost two a day. 

The brutal reality of gun violence is that most of the perpetrators of mass shootings don’t care that they will die in the process. There’s no criminal to prosecute, and children are dead. Children are dead."

- Causes CEO Bart Myers

Join us & tell your reps you support our children

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Biden Signs Executive Order Strengthening Gun Background Checks

March 15, 2023

• President Joe Biden has signed an executive order that mandates required background checks for all firearm sales and cracks down on sellers who break the law.
• Biden signed the order in Monterey Park, California, the scene of a mass shooting in January that left eleven people dead.
• “Every few days in the United States, we mourn a new mass shooting," Biden said in the order. "We cannot accept these facts as the enduring reality of life in America. Instead, we must together insist that we have had enough.”
• The president cannot unilaterally enhance the Safer Communities Act, a piece of bipartisan legislation passed by Congress after the Uvalde and Buffalo shootings. However, his order can empower federal agencies to ensure compliance with existing laws.
• Biden has been growing more vocal about his anti-gun stance, saying to Congress:

"Ban assault weapons once and for all.”

Do you support expanding firearm background checks?

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Ten Things Banned in American Schools (Hint, Guns Aren't One of Them)

March 12, 2023

1. Book banning has been gaining momentum in the U.S. The majority of these books emphasize transgender, LGBTQ, female, and minority voices. From July 2021 to June 2022, PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans listed 2,532 instances of individual books being banned, affecting 1,648 unique book titles.
2. The words "poverty," “dinosaurs,” “birthdays,” and “Halloween” are banned on city-issued tests in New York because they could foster "unpleasant" emotions in children.
3. One Pennsylvania school banned UGG boots because students were hiding cell phones in their shoes and using them during class.
4. Some schools in Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, and Texas have banned backpacks because of concerns about concealed weapons. One Long Island school has made clear backpacks a requirement for all students. 
5. In 2009, the New York City Department of Education banned schools from hosting bake sales by prohibiting the sale of "non-approved items."
6. School districts in Florida, New York, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Texas have all banned dodgeball, suggesting that it is violent and encourages bullying.   
7. A California school banned the game of tag because it is too rough.
8. A school in Murrieta, California, banned dictionaries for a few days after a parent complained about oral sex references.
9. Some schools in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts have banned hoodies, citing safety concerns.
10. Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs have been banned in American schools because the plastic toys inside might pose a choking concern.

One item not banned in American schools

• Automatic weapons.

Do you support gun control?

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Proposed Bill Would Designate AR-15 the National Gun of the U.S. - H.R.1095

March 6, 2023

• Introduced to the House by Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL): Feb. 17, 2023
• The AR-15 is a semiautomatic rifle used by hunters, competitors, and "Americans seeking home-defense guns," according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
   A May 2022 report found 20 million AR-15 rifles are in circulation in the U.S.
• If the proposal passes the GOP-controlled House and Democratic-controlled Senate, the AR-15 will become a formal national symbol, along with the American flag.
• At a conference at a local gun store in Troy, Alabama, Moore said:

"The anti-Second Amendment group won’t stop until they take away all your firearms. One rule to remember: any government that would take away one right would take away them all."

How do you feel about the AR-15 being a proposed national symbol of America?

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California Mourns After Two Mass Shootings

January 24, 2023

• California had two mass shootings between January 21-23, 2023 — one in Monterey Park that left 11 dead and another in Half Moon Bay that killed seven. 
• The suspected gunman, Huu Can Tran, attacked a dance studio this past weekend in Monterey Park, a city just east of Los Angeles. Tran, a 72-year-old, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 
• All of the victims were in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. Nine additional people were injured.
• A gunman killed seven people in two locations in Half Moon Bay on Monday. At least one location was a plant nursery, according to the sheriff’s office. 
• Suspect Zhao Chunli, age 67, was arrested after being found in his car in a San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office substation parking lot. The sheriff’s office confirmed that there was no continuing threat to the community. 
• San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller said in a news conference: 

“There were farmworkers affected tonight. There were children on the scene at the incidents. This is a truly heartbreaking tragedy in our community.”

Do you support taking action on gun control?

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Virginia Walmart Shooting: 6 People and Shooter Dead

November 22, 2022

• A mass shooting at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, on November 22, 2022,, has left six dead and multiple injured, according to police.
• The suspect, a man believed to be the store manager, opened fire in the megastore before turning the gun on himself. 
• Walmart said it was "shocked at this tragic event," adding:

Do you believe there's a solution to America's gun violence epidemic?

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Gunman in Colorado LGBTQ+ Nightclub Shooting Charged with 305 Counts

November 22, 2022

• On Nov. 19, five people were killed and 25 wounded in a mass shooting at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
• The suspect, a 22-year-old man, is in custody and facing five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury, according to court records.
• The five victims who lost their lives at Club Q are Daniel Aston, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh, Derrick Rump, and Raymond Green Vance. Richard M. Fierro, a combat veteran from Iraq and Afghanistan, tackled the gunman and seized his weapon. A drag performer stomped on the gunman with her high heels as other patrons helped hold down the gunman until police arrived.
• Colorado Springs is a conservative city long known for its anti-gay activism. Club Q, which opened in 2002, has been a safe space for LGBTQ+ members, with drag shows, karaoke, and dance parties for those 18 and older.
• LGBTQ+ community members, allies, and activists are urging lawmakers to start actively fighting against the uptick in anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and legislation and to start protecting the community. 

How can we work together to end hate crimes and gun violence?

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The Impact of Texas' Permitless Carry Law

October 28, 2022

• A recent Texas gun law has allowed handgun owners to carry without training or obtaining permits. Since going into effect, police forces have stated their worries about a newly armed public.
• While soon-to-be 25 states allow permitless concealed carry, Texas is one of the most populous states in the U.S., making the acceptance of permitless handguns a new fact of life for a significant portion of Americans.
• Statewide shooting statistics have yet to be released since the law was enacted; however, law enforcement officers are reporting an increase in the number of guns they encounter.
• In and around Houston, prosecutors are receiving a growing number of cases involving gun brandishing or shootings over parking spots, poor driving, loud music, and personal relations.
• El Paso is seeing a rising number of people legally bringing guns to parties and opening fire. In the town of Eagle Pass, more and more drunken arguments are escalating into shootings.

How do you feel about more states adopting the permitless carry law?

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Mass Shooting Injures Six at High School in Oakland, California

September 29, 2023

• A mass shooter injured six adults at the King Estate of Rudsdale Newcomer High School in East Oakland on September 28, 2022.
• The six victims include two students, a counselor, a security guard, and two other campus employees, Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong said during a press conference. One victim passed away, while five were injured. 
• In August 2022, a 13-year-old student was shot and injured after a 12-year-old's gun went off accidentally. There were also eight homicides in the weeks leading up to the shooting. Experts believe that Oakland is suffering a wave of violence within an extended gun violence crisis.
• Gun violence had been decreasing in Oakland for about eight years after being ranked in the top ten most violent cities in the U.S. for decades.
• The numbers shot back up during the pandemic, and by 2021 the city had experienced its deadliest year since 2006. 
  The Oakland Police Department announced that more officers will be allocated to combat gun violence around the region. However,
• community activists say that the best way to combat violence is through meeting the community’s needs, not increased police deployment.