Gunman Kills 19 Children and 2 Adults in a Mass Shooting in Uvalde, TX
5/24/2022-Written by SJ
19 children and 2 adults were killed earlier today at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas. The incident is officially the most deadly school shooting in the United States since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, where 26 people were killed.
The gunman, who has been identified as Salvador Ramos, was shot and killed by police officers who were at the scene today. The 18-year-old man was a resident of Uvalde and, according to Texas State Senator Roland Gutierrez, Ramos killed his own grandmother before making his way to Robb Elementary.
Once he arrived at the elementary school, Ramos drove his car into a nearby ditch and attempted to enter the school building with two rifles. Before entering, he was stopped by law enforcement but he eventually gained access to the building and began shooting. Two police officers at the scene were shot as well and are expected to recover.
The massacre took place two days before the end of the school year, which was set to be Thursday, according to the school district. Ramos’ motives are unknown, but he had recently made references to an attack on children on his social media accounts.
The tragedy comes less than two weeks after a white gunman, Payton Gendron, drove over 200 miles to a grocery store in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, shooting 13 people and killing 10 in a racially motivated attack (read more HERE).
Uvalde, Texas is a small town with a population of fewer than 25,000 people. The town is located southwest of San Antonio and less than 100 miles north of the Mexican border. Robb Elementary is an overwhelmingly Latinx school. Data from the school district shows that just under 90% of students attending the elementary school are Latinx.
How does this keep happening?
According to Giffords Law Center, “America has the weakest gun laws and the most guns—393 million—of any comparable nation.” The organization, which tracks firearm-related legislation, also pointed out that “Americans are 25 times more likely to be killed in a gun homicide than people in other high-income countries.” What’s worse, “3 million children are directly exposed to gun violence each year, resulting in death, injury, and lasting trauma.”
NPR reported that there have been 27 school shootings so far this year and more than 200 mass shootings in the U.S. alone.
Experts blame the uptick in gun violence, with gun-related deaths increasing more than 25% since 2020 (Pew Research), on lax firearm legislation. Many insist that gun violence is a public health crisis, which must be acknowledged and handled as such.
How to take action:
Contact your elected officials. Tell them gun violence is a public health crisis. Let them know that stricter gun control laws and legislation must be implemented in order to curb gun violence.
Find your U.S. Senators HERE
Find your U.S. Representatives HERE
Find your State Governor HERE
Find your State Legislators HERE