On May 6, 2023, a gunman in Allen, Texas, killed 8 and injured 7 at an outlet mall. Victims are still being identified, but it is known that 27-year-old Aishwarya Thatikonda- an engineer who resided in McKinney- was shopping with her friend and was fatally shot. Her friend is in stable condition in the hospital. 20-year-old security guard Christian LaCour was also fatally shot. Your Daily Load will be working on providing all the names of the victims. Our hearts go out to the families affected by this horrific act of violence.
The United States has a growing problem of gun violence, and nothing is being done to prevent these senseless murders. Time and time again we hear people offering thoughts and prayers for the victims. This is not helping. Thoughts and prayers are never going to be enough because they do not address the root of this issue. The U.S. is creating an environment that produces terrorism, and nothing is being done to deter these acts of aggression from occurring. The gunman in this shooting has been identified as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia, who was a neo-Nazi sympathizer. Garcia also had a patch on at the time of the massacre that read "RWDS" which stands for "Right Wing Death Squad." Most of the aggression in the U.S. comes from far-right extremists, which Trump's presidency helped exemplify such behaviors. The U.S. needs serious domestic terrorism reform.
A big issue when it comes to gun legislation is the NRA (National Rifle Association) can legally bribe politicians (also known as lobbying) into voting for what is best for the NRA. This happens constantly. There have been countless bills with bipartisan support introduced to Congress, but they never pass because the NRA spends millions to ensure it never does.
Without true reform that targets lobbying, gun legislation, and mental health, nothing will change and in fact these issues will become magnified.
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