Since the beginning of the year, 39 “mass shootings” (injuring at least four people) have been recorded in the US, with at least four dead in six cases. These are considered “mass killings” in the terminology of the Gun Violence Archive (which maintains an updated list of these events) and the last three were recorded in California, in the space of eight days, resulting in 25 deaths. In 2023, 69 people have been killed in mass shootings, with US President Joe Biden urging an end to the sale of assault weapons.
The latest of these massacres occurred yesterday at a farm and other business in Half Moon Bay. A 67-year-old farm worker identified as Chunli Zhao killed seven people (six men and one woman, of Latino and Asian descent) before being apprehended by police. The motives for the attack have yet to be determined, knowing only that the suspect worked in the farm’s greenhouses, so the case is being treated as a labor dispute.
The new tragedy came two days after another attack on a dance studio in Monterey Park, in the Los Angeles area, an area where many Asian Americans live. Huu Can Tran, 72, fired 42 shots into the crowd celebrating the Lunar New Year, killing 12 and wounding nine. The suspect, who was a frequent visitor to the studio, would commit suicide if arrested by the authorities. The reasons for this attack are also yet to be determined, as cases of shootings by people over the age of 70 are rare.
California’s first mass murder of the year was recorded on January 16 at a home in Goshen. A 16-year-old teenage mother and her baby are among the six people killed in the attack, which authorities believe was gang or cartel related. All victims were from the same family and the shooter has not yet been identified.
These tragedies occurred in one of the states with the strictest gun laws and the lowest death rate from this type of violence: 8.5 gun deaths per 100,000 people in 2020, compared to 13.7 per 100,000 globally. Another data quoted by The New York Times, indicates that Californians are 25% less likely to die in a shooting than residents of any other state. Therefore, these cases are shocking.
After the latest tragedy, Biden again asked Congress to limit the purchase of assault rifles. “We know the tragedy of gun violence in America calls for stronger action. I again urge Congress to act quickly and take action to keep American communities, schools, workplaces and homes safe.”Biden said in a statement.
The law banning assault rifles expired in 2004 and was not renewed due to lack of agreement in Congress. Democratic senators introduced two new bills on Monday, one to ban these guns and another to set the minimum legal age to buy them at 21.
Source: DN
