Tag: gun violence

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Update On Florida High School Shooting

Accused Florida shooter Nikolas Cruz

The latest news regarding yesterday’s hideous gun massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 dead.

That death toll could rise.

• The shooter, identified as 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.

• According to Dr. Evan Boyer, Broward Health North received a total of nine patients, including the suspect who was treated and released to authorities. Two patients died, three have been discharged, while another three remain in the hospital.

• Doctor Menendez of Broward Health Emergency told reporters that out of the seven patients they received, two remain in critical but stable condition and the other five have been a released.

• Gov. Rick Scott of Florida told the press he plans to meet with state lawmakers to secure more funding for school safety and the treatment of mental illness. “If we have somebody that’s mentally ill, they can’t have access to a gun,” Mr. Scott said.

• A leader of a white nationalist group has confirmed Cruz was member of his organization and participated in organized drills. #VeryFinePeople

Nothing I can say about these tragedies can express the sheer pain and frustration as the words of this mother can:

And then there’s this:

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Trump Calls Out “Mentally Disturbed” Shooter, Fails To Mention He Revoked Gun Regulation For People With Mental Illness

In the painful aftermath of the high school gun shooting in Florida yesterday, Donald Trump took to Twitter today to shift the discussion from any meaningful gun control measures to the idea that the shooter was apparently mentally ill.

Trump wrote, “So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!”

The Trumpster almost seems to be blaming the students and neighbors for not reporting the shooter.

According to CNN’s Jake Tapper, the shooter was “a client at a mental health clinic” though he had not been at the clinic in more than a year.

What Trump failed to include was that he signed a bill into law a year ago that rolled back Obama-era regulations that made it harder for those with a history of mental illness to obtain a gun.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel told reporters, “While people in this country with mental health issues are being treated they should not be able to buy, surround themselves, purchase or carry a hand gun. Those two things don’t mix.”

Sounds like a logical idea to me.

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Las Vegas: Father Shoots & Kills 14-Year-Old Son For Being Gay

Giovanni Melton

Wendell Melton of Las Vegas Nevada was arrested for the shooting murder of his 14-year-old son Giovanni Melton after they had an argument about Giovanni’s sexual orientation.

According to NBC 3 News Wendell, 53, shot and killed the teenager after the dispute last Thursday.

Giovanni’s former foster mother, Sonja Jones, said the father once caught Giovanni with his boyfriend and became enraged.

“He hated the fact that his son was gay,” Jones added. “I’m sure that inside of his mind, he would rather have a dead son than a gay son.”

“Giovanni was abused physically and mentally and spiritually for many, many years,” she added.

“I hope they throw the book at him. I hope he never sees the light of day,” said Jones. “I hope every day when he looks in the mirror, he sees his son’s face.”

According to court records, Giovanni’s mother had abandoned her children after a long custody battle.

Giovanni lived with his older brother alone in a condo complex.

Wendell had served in the military and recently worked for United Airlines. He had already faced allegations of abusing his sons and faced charges involving illegal firearms.

He has been charged with murder, child abuse, and prohibited person possessing a firearm.

Jones has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help Giovanni’s older brother pay for funeral expenses.

Wendell Melton
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Texas Church Shooter May Have Been Motivated By “Domestic Situation”

With 26 dead and 20 more wounded after the deadly shooting massacre at a small church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, investigators believe the attack was possibly motivated by an ongoing “domestic situation” for the shooter.

Via Washington Post:

While authorities have not publicly identified a motive for the attack, they emphasized Monday that the shooting did not appear to be fueled by racial or religious issues. They said the gunman’s mother-in-law had attended the church but was not there Sunday, and that the shooter had sent “threatening texts” as part of the family dispute.

“This was not racially motivated, it wasn’t over religious beliefs,” Freeman Martin of the Texas Department of Public Safety said at a news briefing. “There was a domestic situation going on within the family and the in-laws.”

Investigators have scoured the gunman’s background since he opened fire Sunday morning on the pews of the First Baptist Church outside San Antonio, searching for a possible motive as the stories of those massacred began to emerge.

The shooter, identified as Devin Patrick Kelley, had served in the Air Force but was court-martialed in 2012 for assaulting his wife and child.

He was sentenced to a year in military prison and received a bad-conduct discharge.

President Trump called the shooter a “deranged individual” and called the shooting massacre a “mental health problem at the highest level.”

That would be an interesting choice of words considering in February Trump signed a bill into law that rolled back regulations that made it difficult for people with mental health issues to acquire guns.

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At Least 25 Killed By Lone Gunman In Small Town Texas Church

At least 25 people have been killed by a lone gunman in a small Texas church in Sutherland Springs.

From NBC News:

“Approximately 25 people” were deceased, including the shooter, following the shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackett said Sunday afternoon. There was no information regarding the motivation behind the shooting, he added.

A single shooter walked into the church and opened fire, Wilson County Commissioner Albert Gamez Jr. told NBC News earlier Sunday.

But the shooter was now “deceased,” Gamez said, adding that it was not clear if the gunman shot himself or was taken down by authorities.

Developing story…

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Viral Video: NRA Or “Nonsensical Rifle Addiction”

Vox covers this latest viral video showing how the rest of the world views America’s gun obsession.

Sunday with Lubach, which is sort of like the Dutch version of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, looked at guns — specifically, the US’s love of firearms. And it’s very telling.

For one, the satirical Dutch video describes America’s love of guns as so bad that it is an illness: Nonsensical Rifle Addiction, or NRA — a reference to the biggest gun lobby group in the country.

“NRA is a constitutional disorder caused by a dysfunction of the prefrontal Second Amendment in the nonsensical cortex, causing patients to shoot people,” the narrator explains. “It starts with an innocent Colt, but soon patients will show signs of shotguns, sniper rifles, and M16s even. Often, patients use silencers to hide their condition.”

Vox goes on to cite empirical research that shows where there are fewer guns, there is less gun violence.

Duh.

Watch below.

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59 Dead & 527 Injured Still Won’t Move Lawmakers To Do Anything About Gun Violence

Being here in Las Vegas, it’s been a mixed bag of emotions as we’ve all watched the news throughout the day regarding the horrific mass shooting at singer Jason Aldean’s performance at the Route 91 Harvest Festival that left 59 dead and 527 injured.

On one hand, there’s a numb sadness hanging in the air.

But the incredible acts of kindness by folks across the city are deeply inspiring as we see folks donating blood, blankets, water and more.

Steve Sisolak, Clark County Commission Chair from Las Vegas, set up a GoFundMe campaign to assist the victims of the tragic Las Vegas shooting.

Funds will be used to provide relief and financial support to the victims and families of the horrific Las Vegas mass shooting.

At this writing over $1.6 million has been raised in only 10 hours.

Earlier today, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that this isn’t the time to address any kind of gun control policy.

But, if not now, when?

After past mass shooting incidents, we’ve seen up to 90% agreement by the American people that there should be at the very least commonsense background checks for folks buying guns.

Sen. Chris Murphy called on Congress to “get off it’s ass and do something.”

“My heart goes out to the victims, their families, the first responders, and the entire Las Vegas community. Nowhere but America do horrific large-scale mass shootings happen with this degree of regularity. Last night’s massacre may go down as the deadliest in our nation’s history, but already this year there have been more mass shootings than days in the year.

“This must stop. It is positively infuriating that my colleagues in Congress are so afraid of the gun industry that they pretend there aren’t public policy responses to this epidemic. There are, and the thoughts and prayers of politicians are cruelly hollow if they are paired with continued legislative indifference. It’s time for Congress to get off its ass and do something.”

Bolding is mine.

But Congress won’t touch the issue.

According to reports, the NRA pumped $30 million into getting Donald Trump elected president. And tons of money goes into Congressional Republican election coffers.

And according to these figures being shared on social media, these nine Republican senators received 22 million by the NRA:

•Mitch McConnell (R-KY): $1,262,189
•Roy Blunt (R-MO): $1,433,952
•Pat Roberts (R-KS): $1,584,153
•Tom Cotton (R-AR): $1,968,714
•David Perdue (R-GA): $1,997,512
•Bill Cassidy (R-LA): $2,867,074
•Joni Ernst (R-IA): $3,124,773
•Cory Gardner (R-CO): $3,939,199
•Thom Tillis (R-NC): $4,418,833

So, even though you’ll see expressions of “thoughts and prayers” across the nation, don’t expect any gun policy changes anytime soon.

As Dan Hodges, a commentator for The Mail once wrote, “In retrospect, ​Sandy Hook marked the end of the US gun control debate. Once America decided killing children was bearable, it was over.”

Still, folks took to Twitter to express their outrage. One thing folks made note of was the White House’s clear reticence to use the term “terrorist” in describing the man who terrorized tens of thousands of people.

Nevada law states an “act of terrorism means any act that involves the use or attempted use of sabotage, coercion or violence which is intended to cause great bodily harm or death to the general population.”

In other words, the shooter in Las Vegas was a domestic terrorist.

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Hillary Clinton Responds To Deadly Las Vegas Shooting

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton tweeted her thoughts about last night’s deadly shooting in Las Vegas, and expressed her concerns regarding if the shooter had had a silencer.

Las Vegas, we are grieving with you—the victims, those who lost loved ones, the responders, & all affected by this cold-blooded massacre. The crowd fled at the sound of gunshots. Imagine the deaths if the shooter had a silencer, which the NRA wants to make easier to get. Our grief isn’t enough. We can and must put politics aside, stand up to the NRA, and work together to try to stop this from happening again.

Watching the videos of the event, the only thing that alerted folks that anything was happening was the sound of the rifle popping off shots. If the shooter had a silencer people would have just started dropping with those around them having no clue.

Chilling.