AMERICA'S FATAL NUMBERS: Highland Park massacre marks 309th mass shooting in 2022, with 11 attacks per WEEK
The Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, which killed six people and injured more than 25 individuals, has become the 309th mass shooting incident this year. The non-profit Gun Violence Archive’s (GVA) data show that as of 2022, there have been on average 11 mass shootings per week.
With each breaking news alert of a mass shoot, the nation grieves at this violence, be it the Highland Park parade tragedy or Uvalde school mass shoot. New Jersey congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman took to Twitter to express the same. She said, “I am heartbroken, I am outraged, and I am tired of seeing the same story time and time again. How can we celebrate freedom today if we don’t even have the freedom to feel safe during our celebrations?”
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— The Gun Violence Archive (@GunDeaths) July 4, 2022
309th Mass Shooting in 2022
15th Mass Murder 2022
Snapshot of all Mass Murders with over 20 victims pic.twitter.com/U3ZuhpvUCV
I am heartbroken, I am outraged, and I am tired of seeing the same story time and time again. How can we celebrate freedom today if we don’t even have the freedom to feel safe during our celebrations? https://t.co/aRLicsLlIz
— Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (@RepBonnie) July 4, 2022
Coleman further stated in another tweet, “When we kept weapons of war out of our communities, we saved lives. There have been over 300 mass shootings in the US this year. If that isn't a good enough reason to #BanAssaultWeapons again, I don't know what is.” As per GunPolicy.org, the gun homicide rate is 26 times higher than in other high-income countries as of 2020; and one of the answers is easy access to guns.
When we kept weapons of war out of our communities, we saved lives.
— Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (@RepBonnie) July 5, 2022
There have been over 300 mass shootings in the U.S. this year. If that isn't a good enough reason to #BanAssaultWeapons again, I don't know what is. https://t.co/WqYwCQQArs
The findings by GVA
As per Metro, GVA, which collects information about fatalities and injuries linked to incidents involving discharged firearms, updated its records on July 5. The group classifies an incident as a mass shooting when four or more people, excluding the shooter, are shot or killed. As per the data, gun violence has resulted in 22,417 deaths so far this year, exceeding the 19,411 in all of 2020. The figure has been climbing over the years, from 12,418 in 2012 to 15,448 in 2019.
The never-ending tragedy of mass shootings
Below are a few of the mass shootings that took place in 2022:
Milwaukee, January 23: A 34-year-old Wisconsin man was charged with the deaths of six people who were found dead in January at a Milwaukee duplex. The victims were found with gunshot wounds, in which appeared to be a robbery gone wrong.
Sacramento, April 3: The mass killing of six people and 12 wounded outside bars just blocks from California’s Capitol was a gunfight involving at least five shooters from rival gangs.
Buffalo, May 14: A white 18-year-old wearing military gear and live streaming with a helmet camera opened fire with a rifle at a supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood of Buffalo, killing 10 people and wounding three others.
Uvalde, May 24: A total of 19 children and two teachers were killed when a young gunman went on a shooting rampage at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
Tulsa, June 1: A man, who blamed a surgeon for the pain he suffered after back surgery, opened gunfire into a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and fatally shot four people including the doctor.
Highland Park, July 4: At least six people were killed when a gunman armed with a high-powered rifle opened fire at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois.