A gunman armed with a rifle, handgun, and a firearm killed four people and injured many others in Tulsa on Wednesday. It was the latest in a series of mass shootings that have been taking place across the U.S.
The shooting took placeIn the Natalie Building at Saint Francis Hospital. The shooter was declared dead on the spot; it is believed he committed suicide.
As of Thursday morningThe motive for the shooting was unknown. It’s unclear whether the attack was targeted or whether the shooter chose to attack the hospital at random.
Multiple people were also injured in the attack, in addition to the four victims. According to the Tulsa Police Department the number of people who were injured was less than 10, and none of them sustained life-threatening injuries.
The names of the victims are not yet known. Very little information on the shooter’s identity has been made public, although there is some indication that he is from Muskogee, Oklahoma, as there were fears that he may have left bombs in his home. A subsequent investigation revealed no evidence of bombs being stored there.
Tulsa’s shooting is the latest in a number of massacres that have taken place across the country over the past few weeks — including in Buffalo, New YorkA white supremacist gunned down 10 Black people in an attack on Black people in the city of????. in Uvalde, TexasThe shooting at an elementary school in which 19 children were killed and two adults were injured by a gunman.
These and other shootings have prompted renewed calls for Washington’s gun legislation. Democrats, particularly in Congress, support a ban on assault guns. a proposal that is backed by President Joe Biden. The chances of such legislation passing the Senate are slim as it will likely be blocked in the Senate by a Republican filibuster.
House Democrats are pushing for a billThis would prohibit the sale of semiautomatic weapons to anyone younger than 21 years old. Their legislation would also ban high-capacity ammunition magazines, increase penalties on “straw purchases” of guns, and require the safe storage of weapons, especially in households with children.
Meanwhile, a bipartisan group led by Senators Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, and John Cornyn, R-Texas, is pushing for a smaller proposal that has a better chance at passage. The bill would be focused on creating state-based legislation “red flag” programsIncreasing school safety standards and funding mental health initiatives.
It’s unclear whether legislation that includes those policies could pass in the Senate without being blocked by the filibuster, but members of the bipartisan group have noted that talks are in progress to address the country’s gun violence crisis.
