Mass shootings in America

Multiple mass shootings have occurred in the last 2 months in the United States, with 2 of the 5 deadliest mass shootings in US history occurring within that time span. The Las Vegas concert shooting and the Sutherland Springs church shooting happened with legally bought firearms in the United States. These shows that guns are accessible to people regardless of their mental health status or intentions, which is no doubt an issue today.

On October 1, 2017 a lone gunman took aim at a crowd of concert goers in Las Vegas, Nevada. Stephen Paddock, the shooter, killed 59 people and injured around 500 making it the deadliest shooting in US history. The gunman had 12 guns in his hotel room all fitted with a bump stock. A bump stock is a device that allows shooters to fire hundreds of rounds of ammunition per minute. Bump stocks are currently legal in the United States, but with the recent tragedy many people have called for a review of the legislation, these reconsiderations specifically apply to Paul Ryan and the National Rifle Association.

The most recent mass shooting occurred in Sutherland Springs, Texas at the First Baptist Church. The gunman killed 26 people and wounded 20 more. The President of the United States, Donald Trump, said that this is a “mental health issue”, not a gun issue. Early in February however, Trump repealed a Barack Obama-backed law that made it difficult for people with mental health issues to purchase firearms. Trump’s claims seem to stray from the issue at hand, that people, mentally ill or not, have access to guns.

All in all, Americans are paying the price of mass shootings by losing friends and family, while little is done in congress to change current gun legislation. With bump stocks and gun ownership loopholes currently legal, these mass shootings will continue to occur unless something is done to stop it, specifically legislation.