As of Tuesday, there had been at least 39 mass shootings in the United States since the start of the new year, according to gun violencea non-profit organization that documents the spread of what has been called ‘an American disease.’
A mass shooting is defined as an incident of gun violence in which at least four people, including the shooter, are shot. At least 70 people have died and 167 have been injured in mass shootings so far in 2023, according to that institution.
In the wake of the recent mass shootings, there have been repeated calls for stricter federal gun control measures. State measures, including in California, face the power of the Supreme Court, which has blocked multiple restrictions.
“We know that the scourge of gun violence across America requires stronger action,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Tuesday, pointing to bills introduced Monday by Senate Democrats, including a “federal ban of assault weapons and legislation that would increase the minimum purchase age for assault weapons to 21”.
“Once again, I urge both houses of Congress to act quickly and put this assault weapons ban on my desk, and take steps to keep American communities, schools, workplaces and homes safe,” he said. .
The deadliest shooting of the year so far occurred while celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year festivities on Saturday night. Eleven people were killed when a gunman opened fire at a club in Monterey Park, a town with a large Asian-American population.
Ten hours later, in the early hours of Sunday morning, at least 12 people were injured after a gunshot wound to a Louisiana nightclub. The incident was described as a “targeted attack.”
The next day, Monday, there was another mass shooting in California, the second major shooting in the state in three days. It left at least seven dead and one seriously injured in Half Moon Bay.
Multiple people were killed in two related shootings Monday at a mushroom farm and a trucking company in a coastal community south of San Francisco. Authorities have a suspect in custody.
Seven people were injured and one person was killed in a shooting Monday night in Oakland, California, police said.
