According to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), as of November 16th, which is the 320th day of the year, there have been 366 mass shootings in the United States. Yes, you read that correctly. There have been more mass shootings than days in the year of 2019.
The most recent shooting that has received extreme notoriety occurred on November 14th at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California. The gunman of this tragedy was Nathaniel T. Berhow, who was one of Saugus High School’s own students. Berhow entered school with a handgun (a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol) in his backpack and shot five students before suffering a fatal self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Berhow’s actions left two students dead, Gracie Anne Muehlberger, a fifteen-year-old girl and Dominic Blackwell, a fourteen-year old boy. Three other students were injured, but thankfully were not in critical condition. In addition, a fact of this occurrence that makes it even more shocking is that Nathaniel Berhow followed through with these heinous acts on the day of his sixteenth birthday. Berhow’s motive behind the shooting remains ambiguous as police were unable to find any evidence such as a diary or suicide note, that revealed his malicious intent. The tragedy that occurred at Saugus High School is not unknown to be attributed to mental health concerns, however, it is not public knowledge if this was the case with Nathaniel Berhow. Additionally, this mass shooting also adds fuel to the national debate of gun control.
Coincidentally, on November 14th, the same day the Santa Clarita mass shooting occurred, Senator Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, took the floor of the Senate to advocate for expediting a gun control legislation that would require background checks for American citizens; but of course the action to expedite the legislation was rejected. Personally, I believe that enough lives have been lost; almost everyday in America a life is lost to gun violence. My heart becomes heavy, especially when hearing stories about gun violence in the school-place. Protect kids NOT guns!