According to the data updated by the US "Gun Violence Archive" website on January 29, 44 large-scale shootings have occurred in the United States this year, which is the highest record for the same period since the independent agency began to collect and publish such data in 2014.
On the night of January 21, local time, for many Asian-American residents in Monterey Park, Los Angeles County, California, the night of New Year's Eve, which should have been celebrated, has become a sleepless night to experience the shooting tragedy. The police confirmed that 11 people were killed and 9 injured in the shooting at a dance hall in Monterrey Park. The gunman shot himself after a confrontation with the police on the morning of the 22nd.
↑ In the early morning of January 22, the police worked at the scene of the shooting in Monterrey Park.
↑ On January 22, the Los Angeles County Police confirmed that the male suspect in the shooting case committed suicide after confronting the police at the Monterey Park City Hall.
This is only one of many shooting cases that occurred in the first month of 2023. The shootings that caused heavy casualties and shocked the United States seem to have become an indelible sadness in people's hearts just at the beginning of the New Year.
On January 4, a shooting massacre occurred in the small town of Enoch in the south of Utah, killing eight members of a family, including five minors;
In the early morning of January 16, a house in central California was shot, resulting in six deaths, including a mother and her 6-month-old baby;
On January 23, a shooting incident occurred in Banyueban City, San Francisco Bay Area, resulting in 7 deaths and 1 injury; Also on the 23rd, a shooting incident occurred in Auckland, resulting in 1 death and 7 injuries
↑ On January 23, law enforcement officers investigated the shooting incident in Banyuewan.
On the night of January 23, hundreds of Los Angeles citizens gathered in front of the Monterey Park City Hall to hold a candlelight memorial service for the victims of the shooting.
"Why does the shooting tragedy keep repeating?" Paul Padilla, an educator, asked angrily. This question spewed out the anger of the protesters and the wailing of the relatives of the victims.
American television viewers may recall that on the evening of December 17 last year, five minors were shot and two died in an apartment shooting in Atlanta, Georgia. Natasha, the mother of the 16-year-old dead Justin Powell, cried in front of the camera, "I can't live without my children. I don't know what to do.".
However, group shootings leading to more than four deaths and injuries often occur in the United States, and family group shootings have also become a disturbing tragedy. As Virginia Senator Louise Lucas said, due to the "epidemic" of gun violence in the United States, too many families have empty chairs on Thanksgiving and Christmas tables.
↑ On March 13, 2018, 7000 pairs of shoes representing children killed in the shootings since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Connecticut, USA, were placed on the lawn in front of the Capitol Hill in Washington.
The festival is a time of reunion. How sad it is! "Why does the shooting tragedy keep repeating?!" This question is how sad and angry
In addition to the memorial activities, after the major shooting tragedy, another round of protests against gun violence will always be launched around the United States. One of the focuses of the protests is the long-term inaction of American politicians and the interception of gun control legislation by gun interest groups through the "golden dollar politics". However, in June 2022, the compromise plan for gun safety reform legislation, which was "called for by thousands of people", neither banned the sale of offensive weapons and high-capacity magazines, nor required the general strengthening of the background review of gun buyers, nor proposed how to solve the problem of the proliferation of guns and ammunition in the United States
↑ On June 6, 2022, students wore bullet-proof vests in front of the Capitol in Washington to participate in a protest called "Don't Avoid", calling on the legislature to face up to the social problems of frequent shooting cases in the United States and to strengthen gun control legislation.
↑ On August 27, 2022, people attended a rally in Austin, Texas to call for gun control.
↑ This is the "National Monument to Gun Violence" made of silk flowers near the Washington Monument on June 6, 2022. The organizers placed 45000 silk flowers here to mourn the victims of American guns, show the importance of the victims, and ask Washington to stop inaction.
On January 24, CBS News reported a special shooting case: Joseph Austin Smith, a man from Kansas, was shot on the spot when a dog with him stepped on the trigger of a rifle placed on the back seat of the car while driving out hunting with his friend on the 21st.
The accident made people feel sad, and the sadness after the gunshot was heartbreaking. Is there no solution to all this?
The population of the United States is about 330 million, and there are more than 400 million private guns. According to the data of the "Gun Violence Archive" website, more than 40000 people in the United States died of gun violence last year, including more than 1600 minors.
↑ On October 4, 2017, in a firearms store in Las Vegas, there were all kinds of guns and ammunition, accessories around guns, and derivatives of gun culture.
On the night of January 23, in front of the city hall in Monterrey Park, California, the United States, candles flickered, filled with sadness and anger. A red placard with the words "The problem is guns" is particularly eye-catching ↓
So here comes the question. Is it really "guns"?