Yesterday was the 4th of July, a day typically full of celebrations with barbeque and fireworks. The weekend of the 4th of July also brings around the strong summer heat and the quintessential summer vibes. This year, it also was a holiday weekend full of violence throughout the country. Over this past weekend, there were shootings in Fort Worth, Texas; Baltimore, Maryland; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Wichita, Kansas; and the capital of the United States itself, Washington D.C.
Between all of the shootings, thus far there have been 10 reported deaths, and countless others injured.
A shooting broke out in Fort Worth during a neighborhood 4th of July festival. Three people were killed in this shooting, with at least eight others suffering from injuries. In Baltimore, guns were fired during a block party to celebrate the holiday. Police believe there were multiple shooters and have reported two deaths so far, but 28 more people were shot. Philadelphia’s shooter walked up to a random city street, firing at random while wearing a ski mask and bulletproof vest. He ended up shooting a total of seven people, killing five of them and injuring two of them, both being children. Of the two children shot, one was 2 years old and the other was 13 years old.
The shooting in Wichita, Kansas happened at a nightclub. From this shooting, there have been no reported deaths thus far but have reported at least seven people shot and suffering from injuries. Additionally, two more have reported injuries due to being trampled in the midst of the shooting. In Washington D.C., just a few hours ago a shooting happened in the middle of the night. Luckily there have been no reported deaths, but nine people were shot and injured during the shooting. All of the injuries report that they are non-life threatening.
Amidst the five mass shootings that happened in a five-day period, President Joe Biden is pushing for stricter rules regarding gun control.
President Biden released a statement on the Fourth of July itself stating “It is within our power to once again ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.” He also pushed for requirements to be implemented regarding the storage of guns, placing pressure on gun manufacturers by holding them liable, and implementing background checks across the board for gun sales.
As of July 5th, there have been 346 mass shootings in the United States in 2023 alone.
