Not even 3 days after a person opened fire at LAX, killing a TSA agent, America awakes to another story. Luckily the only body count on this one is the shooter himself:
A gunman who opened fire at a New Jersey mall Monday night later holed up in a back room and shot himself in the head, authorities say.
No one else was injured in the mall shooting.
Richard Shoop’s body was found at 3:20 a.m. Tuesday in an obscure part of Westfield Garden State Plaza mall, hours after he fired at least six bullets without striking anyone in the massive shopping center.
He acted alone, authorities say.
Police have determined that the intent of the gunman was to either commit suicide or be killed by police, also known as “suicide by cops”. What we don’t know is why this young man decided to do it in such a public fashion.
With these incidents growing in frequency so quickly, can’t we finally agree on it being the right time for an open and public discussion? The gun violence in this country is well beyond a tipping point, and with more and more people owning guns, the argument “if more people were armed” becomes moot. The answer isn’t more guns, but better gun control and a serious look into the failings of our nation’s mental health services. That’s what needs discussed, not strawmen like Hollywood or video games.