There Have Been More Mass Shootings In The US This Year Than Days In 2022 So Far
Harrowing data has shown there have been more mass shootings in the US this year than days in 2022 so far.
This comes after 21 people were murdered in a Texas shooting yesterday, 24 May, marking at least the 38th attack on a school in 2022.
Authorities have revealed the gunman as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos.
Ramos launched an attack on the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 students and two adults, and injuring at least a dozen others.
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Police have now confirmed the gunman acted alone.
According to a CNN count, there have been at least 38 shootings in K-12 schools, colleges and universities so far in 2022.
There have also been more mass shootings in the US in 2022 than days elapsed this year.
The nonprofit organisation Gun Violence Archive has revealed there have been 212 mass shootings in 2022 and we are only 145 days into the year.
A mass shooting is defined by the organisation as an incident where four or more people were injured or killed.
Tuesday's (24 May) Texas shooting is the deadliest elementary school shooting since Sandy Hook in 2012, which saw 26 people murdered by a lone gunman.
20 of the victims from that tragedy were children between six and seven years old. Six were adult staff members.
The Texas shooting has sparked an outpouring of grief and anger in the US.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner lashed out after the attack, asking: "How many more children must lose their lives from senseless gun violence?"
He has called on US lawmakers to take a stand against gun violence.
"In the last two weeks, at least 23 people have lost their lives in mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y., and now Uvalde, Texas," Turner said in a statement.
"Congress must act, and governors and state legislators must pass reasonable gun control legislation. The voters must demand it from their representatives."
US President Joe Biden has previously called on Congress to take action on gun control legislation that would require universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons.
Such measures have so far lacked enough support to pass.
The Texas shooting comes exactly one week since Biden addressed the Buffalo shooting, which left 10 people dead in a racially motivated attack.
Biden was briefed about the Texas attack on Air Force One on his way back from the Quad Summit in Tokyo, Japan.
A furious Biden has lashed out over the Texas attack, telling the press that 'children saw their friends die as if they're on a battlefield, for Christ's sake'.
"They'll have to live with that for the rest of their lives," Biden said.
The US President said he was 'sick and tired' of America's gun violence, adding that lawmakers 'have to act'.
"Why in God's name do you need an assault weapon except to kill someone? It's just sick," Biden said.
The US President added: "Why are we willing to keep living with this carnage? It is time to turn this pain into action. It's time to act."
Biden's comments echo other politicians who are also calling out for an end to gun violence in the US.
Thoughts and prayers are not enough.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 24, 2022
After years of nothing else, we are becoming a nation of anguished screams.
We simply need legislators willing to stop the scourge of gun violence in America that is murdering our children.
Vice-President Kamala Harris spoke at an event in Washington about the latest attack.
"Our hearts keep getting broken … Every time a tragedy like this happens, our hearts break and our broken hearts are nothing compared to the broken hearts of those families," Harris said.
"And, yet, it keeps happening."
She added: "Enough is enough. As a nation we have to have the courage to take action and understand the nexus between what makes for reasonable and sensible public policy to ensure nothing like this ever happens again."
Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tweeted that 'after years of nothing else, we are becoming a nation of anguished screams'.
"We simply need legislators willing to stop the scourge of gun violence in America that is murdering our children," she said.
Rachel Lang