Yesterday at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, an 18-year-old gunman killed at least 19 children and two adults, making it in the deadliest mass shooting at a U.S. school since Sandy Hook in 2012, and the second-deadliest mass shooting at a U.S. school in history. The killer, identified this morning as Salvador Ramos, was a student at the school, is believed to have acted alone, and was armed with a handgun and a semi-automatic rifle, according to reports. Ramos was killed by law enforcement after they arrived on the scene.
The tragedy comes just weeks after a racist killing spree at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, in which 10 Black people were killed by an 18-year-old white supremacist—an attack that has been widely described as an act of domestic terrorism. Just this Monday, a report published by the FBI noted a 52% rise in “active shooter incidents” in 2021 compared to the previous year.
The two attacks this week have led to renewed calls for stricter gun control laws, despite the challenges previous bills have faced against the Republican majority in the Senate, as well as against the powerful influence of gun lobby groups including the National Rifle Association.
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“I had hoped when I became president I would not have to do this again,” said President Biden in an address to the nation last night. “Why are we willing to live with this carnage? Why do we keep letting this happen?” he continued, while appearing to choke back tears. “The gun manufacturers have spent two decades aggressively marketing assault weapons, which make them the most and largest profit. We have to have the courage to stand up to the industry. Where in God’s name is our backbone?”
For many, however, the outpourings of grief and solidarity by political leaders—including Biden’s announcement that the flags at the White House and other U.S. federal buildings would be flown at half-mast in honor of the victims—were seen as representing the continued failure of U.S. government officials to effectively tackle the country’s gun violence epidemic. With the 10th anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting coming this December, the killings this week have merely offered a stark reminder of just how little has changed in the years since.