(RepublicanReport.org) – According to the most recent report from the Gun Violence Archive, the United States has had 618 mass shootings so far this year. The frequency with which these incidents occur prompted several countries like Canada, the UK, and Australia to warn their citizens of possible gun violence when traveling to the US. Recent events at two different Walmarts highlight the need for such an advisory.
On November 20, a gunman entered a Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio, and opened fire. Newsweek reported that four people were injured, and it appeared the suspect took his own life at the scene. The shooting happened just one day after another criminal walked onto a busy Walmart parking lot “right outside the main entrance” in Anchorage, Alaska, and shot a woman before committing suicide. A spokesman from the retail superstore said they were “heartbroken” about the news.
Police said the tragedy in Alaska appeared to be a domestic violence incident that didn’t pose an ongoing threat. After a flurry of posts on social media about the Ohio shooter, the Beavercreek Police Department quickly confirmed there was no active threat because the shooter was dead. The department also said the suspect’s four victims — one man and three women — were at the hospital. All were listed in stable condition, but one remained critical.
Later, police identified the Ohio shooter as 20-year-old Benjamin Charles Jones of Dayton. Authorities have not shared a motive for the incident, but local agencies, the FBI, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms are looking into the shooting.
As for the Alaska shooting, the Anchorage Police Department (APD) identified its Walmart shooter as 29-year-old Saina Fa’atoafe. Because the incident happened in such a populated area, Sean Keating from the APD said he was surprised “more people weren’t hurt.”
In 2023, gun violence has taken nearly 39,000 lives — over 17,000 murders and nearly 22,000 suicides.
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