US Experiences More Than a Dozen Mass Shootings Over Weekend

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Facts

  • A Friday mass shooting at an Arkansas grocery store — where a 44-year-old armed with a pistol, a 12-gauge shotgun, and a bandolier killed four people and wounded nine others — was one of at least 14 mass shootings over the weekend.1
  • By early Sunday, mass shootings reported in New York, Alabama, Missouri, and Ohio increased the number of such incidents in the US in 2024 to more than 240, according to the non-partisan Gun Violence Archive. That's an average of more than one mass shooting per day.2
  • In addition to the Arkansas shooting, six people were injured when one person fired into a crowd at a park in Rochester, New York; at least 13 people were wounded or injured, including three children, at a party in Montgomery, Alabama; and one man was killed and five others injured in downtown St. Louis, Missouri.2
  • These shootings happened after one person was killed and at least seven others were injured Saturday in a nightclub shooting in Louisville, Kentucky.3
  • Meanwhile, the debate over gun regulations in the US continues — with lawmakers on each side of the political spectrum either calling for tougher gun control measures or arguing to defend the constitutional right to possess firearms.4
  • FBI data released earlier this month reported homicides throughout the US decreased by 26.4% in the first quarter of 2024, with violent crimes overall dipping by more than 15% in the same span.5

Sources: 1CNN, 2Guardian, 3USA Today, 4BBC News and 5Northeastern Global News.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by PJ Media. Democrats sadly leverage shooting incidents for political purposes when it comes to tightening gun restrictions. But most of their proposed new gun laws wouldn't do anything to stop these tragedies. Instead, they'd limit law-abiding citizens' Second Amendment rights, which should never be infringed. Democrat talking points conveniently ignore the number of times citizens need firearms for self-defense.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by MSNBC. Republicans at every turn continue to block legislation that would make Americans safer. At minimum Democrats want to restore the assault weapons ban that effectively reduced these tragedies before Republicans allowed the law to expire. There's no such thing as an uninfringed right to possess firearms, as proven by the numerous laws Americans accept in the name of public safety.

Predictions