In the wake of Tuesday’s school massacre in Texas, in which 19 children and two teachers were shot dead by a teenager, one wonders how many of these unspeakable crimes must take place and how many innocent souls must perish for the United States to stop this gun-craziness.
The gunman, identified as 18 year old Salvador Ramos, crashed his car into the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas and began shooting point blank at children and teachers. So far, 19 children and two teachers have been confirmed dead. Shortly, before he massacred these precious little children, Ramos is said to have had shot his grandmother, who now lies in hospital in critical condition.
The Uvalde massacre came less than 10 days after the racially-motivated massacre in Buffalo, New York. On May 14, a known white supremacist, wearing body armour and a helmet-mounted camera, opened fire on shoppers and workers at a local supermarket killing 10 people, all African-Americans.
Speaking shortly after the Uvalde crime, President Joe Biden said: “To lose a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped away.” However and despite the emotionally charged remarks he delivered, his words are of little consolation to those who lost their little ones in yet another senseless shooting.
They are just empty words as his administration, like every administration that preceded it, did nothing to stop the madness of gun culture in America.
Just last year, Texas passed seven laws that have actually made it even easier to buy and carry guns. The laws, passed and signed by Governor Greg Abbott in June 2021, include the so-called ‘constitutional carry’, which means Texans, 21 or older, no longer need a license to carry a handgun in public. Abbot is an outrageously staunch supporter of the freedom to carry guns.
In 2015, he urged Texans to buy more guns. “I’m EMBARRASSED: Texas #2 in nation for new gun purchases, behind CALIFORNIA. Let’s pick up the pace Texans,” he posted on Twitter with a mention of the twitter handle of the NRA. On Tuesday, he issued a statement claiming sympathy for the massacred children! He failed to mention that his pro-guns laws killed these little children.
There have been 27 school mass shootings in the US this year. The overall number of mass shootings has exceeded 200 till May 2022. A number of people have been killed in those massacres. The number itself should be considered a federal emergency.
The administration should consider crisis laws to ensure a ban on gun use as per the federal emergency prerogatives that may in some case supersede state laws. Biden needs to think of that instead of offering shallow words of consolation every time children are massacred by trigger-happy madman.
