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Who is Ryan Borowski? Boulder shooting survivor recounts devastating deaths: 'Feels like nowhere is safe'

'We have a gun problem in America—not a mental health problem', say social media users

Ryan Borowski, a young man who survived an alleged two-and-a-half-hour shooting at a King Soopers in Boulder, Colorado, said that he never imagined such a thing could happen in the college town. "ALERT: Active Shooter at the King Soopers on Table Mesa. AVOID THE AREA. PIO is en-route," the Boulder police department tweeted of the incident, which led to netizens advocating for stricter gun control laws in the US after the police reported an 'active shooter' in the area.  

“Boulder feels like a bubble. And the bubble burst. And that’s heartbreaking to think that people died today,” Borowski said to CNN in an interview reported by the Daily Beast. “It does not feel like there’s anywhere safe anymore sometimes,” he added. “This feels like the safest spot in America, and I nearly got killed for getting a soda and a bag of chips. Does not feel good.”

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Who is Ryan Borowski?

Borowski said he was on his way to get himself some ice cream when he heard two loud pops and by the third one, he and the people around him realized they were gunshots. "I didn't see the shooter. I saw terrified faces running towards me and that's when I turned and ran the other direction," he said.

He said, describing the scene, that when they ran out they were all in single file. "I had my hand on someone's back, and another person had their hand on my back. We weren't tripping on each other, we nobody fell down. When we got to the back of the house we had people who ran into a pantry or some sort of storage area an employees made sure to show them the way out."

He said everyone was helping each other, but while some people ran, others froze.“We ran to the back of the store and out the back door and employees showed us the way. We told employees what was going on so everybody helped each other,” he said in the CNN report.

Demands for gun control in America grow

Following the incident, people on Twitter began posting their demands for gun control in America. "Let’s this put into visual perspective, we know already that the latest shooter has been identified with an AR15 style weapon. GUN REFORM IS TOP PRIORITY! #GunControlNow," said a tweet. "Last week the NRA celebrated an overturned ban on assault weapons in Colorado. Today a man opened fire on civilians at a King Sooper’s in Boulder. It is heartwrenching & sickening that “how many lives will it take” is a question we are being forced to ask. #boulder #GunControlNow," said another.

"I’m so done with this. We have a gun problem in America—not a mental health problem, a gun problem. Again and again we‘ve seen Americans shot in theaters, in schools, in stores. Today it happened in #Boulder, my home, blocks from my high school. It has to stop. #GunControlNow," said another Twitter user. The Colorado affiliate of the National Rifle Association sued Boulder last week in an effort to prevent the city from enforcing its assault-weapon ban that took effect on Friday, March 19.

What Boulder and Sandy Hook are trying to tell us?

A Twitter user wrote, "What terrifies me most is that the shootings in Boulder, Colorado today are only the beginning as we reopen from COVID-19. #GunControlNow". "When Sandy Hook wasn't enough, losing young children to gun violence, there was truly no low bar for this country. How many innocent have to die? How many will finally be enough? Gun violence is a pandemic #GunControlNow #EndGunViolence #BoulderColorado," wrote another.

The NRA maintains that "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." In response, a netizen said, "Read the words, @NRA: “WELL REGULATED” THERE IS NOTHING “WELL REGULATED” ABOUT MILLIONS OF CRAZY-ASS AMERICANS WITH GUNS. NOTHING. REGULATE ALL OF THE DAMN GUNS. #GunControlNow".