Mass shootings are becoming a daily event in this country. Yesterday, it was a mall in Allen, Texas, where a lone gunman killed at least 8 people before being killed by a police officer:
"Seven people, including the gunman, were pronounced dead at the mall. Officials could account for at least nine people who were transported to hospitals, but more victims may have been taken in private vehicles, the Allen fire chief, Jonathan Boyd, said. Two of those died later. Three were in critical condition and four in stable condition.
A video circulating on social media appeared to show the gunman, lying on the ground, clad in black and equipped with what appeared to be a tactical vest, multiple rounds of ammunition and a long gun." (our emphasis)
Yesterday's massacre was the second deadliest this year, behind the January 21 Monterrey Park, CA, shooting that claimed 11 lives, and follows a week of deadly gun violence:
"Last weekend, a gunman killed five people in Cleveland, Texas, near Houston, after he was asked by neighbors to stop shooting in his yard. He was captured after a multiday manhunt.
On Monday, a registered sex offender fatally shot six people, including his wife and three of her children, near Tulsa, Okla., before turning the gun on himself.
On Wednesday, a gunman opened fire at a medical office building in Atlanta, killing one and injuring four others. That, too, led to a manhunt before the suspect was caught."
Thanks to the Republican / Shooters party, Texas is one of the most lax states as far as gun purchase and gun safety regulations. Mass shootings in El Paso (11 killed in 2018), Midland-Odessa (7 killed in 2019), and Uvalde (19 children and 2 adults killed in 2022) haven't moved the Republican legislature or their despicable Gov. Greg Abbot one inch toward restrictions on guns. Indeed, in 2021 they passed a permitless carry bill loosening gun regulations further.
The best gun safety measure is voting National Rifle Rampage Association-owned Republicans out of office for good. It's a big lift, but that can begin with Texas.
UPDATE: The Washington Post is reporting new information on the shooter, Mauricio Garcia:
The 33-year-old gunman who opened fire on an outlet mall in a Dallas suburb Saturday, killing at least eight people, had an apparent fascination with white supremacist or neo-Nazi beliefs that are now being examined by investigators as a possible motive for the attack, people familiar with the investigation said Sunday. [snip]
Authorities have not released a motive, but a patch on his chest said “RWDS,” an acronym that stands for Right Wing Death Squad, according to people familiar with the investigation. The phrase is popular among right wing extremists, neo-Nazis and white supremacists, they said, and while there is still a great deal of evidence to analyze and authorities have not reached any conclusions yet, investigators are approaching the shooting as a possible hate crime.
Surprised not surprised.
(photo: Shoppers file out of mall with their hands raised. Reuters)
