2023-12-07 02:13:00
A gunman opened fire and killed at least three people Wednesday on the campus of the University of Las Vegas before being killed by police. This tragedy arouses emotion in this city, already the victim of one of the worst gun massacres in the United States in 2017.
‘The deaths of three of the victims have been confirmed,’ explained Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill to the press. Another person was injured and is in a ‘stable condition’, he added.
The gunshots were reported late in the morning on the campus of the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, located regarding two kilometers from the famous ‘strip’, a thoroughfare known worldwide for its casinos.
The suspect, a man whose identity authorities have not yet released, was quickly shot dead during a confrontation with police. Students were gathered outside and sharing a meal when the attack occurred, and “countless additional lives might have been taken” without the rapid action of law enforcement, the sheriff said.
Several agents, some of whom were off duty, intervened ‘without hesitation within a few minutes’, according to him. The university canceled classes and asked everyone on campus to self-isolate while police evacuated buildings one by one to ward off any further threats.
‘Very difficult moment’
The shooting caused panic on the spot. Several students told local media how they sheltered inside the buildings for long minutes. “It casts a shadow over the campus,” one student told local KSNV television. ‘Now we have to try to get over this and it’s sad.’
‘This is a very difficult time,’ lamented Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman. If the authorities have not yet communicated details on the victims or the shooter, the councilor estimated that ‘we must teach our children to manage stress and to overcome anger and hatred by other means’ than recourse to firearms.
This drama also reopens the wounds of the massacre suffered by Las Vegas in 2017, one of the worst in the history of the United States. At the time, a man killed 58 people and injured hundreds when he opened fire on the crowd at a country music concert from the 32nd floor of a hotel overlooking the event. The shooter committed suicide.
This umpteenth American tragedy further adds to the very heavy price paid by the United States because of the proliferation of firearms on their territory and their ease of access. The country has more individual weapons than inhabitants: one adult in three owns at least one weapon and nearly one adult in two lives in a home where there is a weapon.
‘Always’ the same story
The recurrence of gun violence ‘is not normal, and we cannot let it become normal,’ President Joe Biden said indignantly, recalling the sad assessment made by the Gun Violence Archive site. ‘This year alone’, this organization which refers to the United States has recorded more than 600 attacks resulting in at least four injuries or deaths, and 40,000 deaths caused by firearms – the majority suicides.
The Democratic president once once more reiterated his call to ban assault rifles and implement truly systematic background checks on people wishing to purchase a firearm. But without a majority in Congress, where the House of Representatives is dominated by Republicans, this remains wishful thinking.
Despite the emotion caused by each killing, the right to bear firearms, guaranteed by the American Constitution, is a hot topic that deeply divides progressives and conservatives, who defend a maximalist vision. Visiting Las Vegas for an NBA match, basketball superstar LeBron James expressed his weariness in the face of the country’s paralysis.
“We’re still faced with the same story, the same conversation every time this happens,” sighed the Los Angeles Lakers player. ‘There has been no change, it’s ridiculous. Continuing to lose innocent lives makes no sense, on campuses, in schools, in stores, in cinemas, it’s ridiculous. It’s even become easier to own a gun, it’s stupid.’
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