Gun violence, shootings and senseless killings!!

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Alabama birthday girl begged dying brother to ‘stay with me’

DADEVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Alexis Dowdell’s Sweet 16 birthday party ended with her kneeling beside her fatally wounded brother on the blood-slicked floor of a dance studio in small-town Alabama, the bodies of other wounded teens scattered around them.

https://apnews.com/article/alabama-birthday-party-shooting-dadeville-7fcbb4eae66674a5dfb73e2fd8c42cf8?

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It’s the guns

They’re the constituents our elected officials value the most. To most of our lawmakers, guns need careful handling. 

https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/04/17/its-the-guns/?

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Common mistakes, uncommon reactions in 3 separate shootings

In the span of six days, four young people across the U.S. have been shot — one fatally — for making one of the most ordinary and unavoidable mistakes in everyday life: showing up at the wrong place.

https://apnews.com/article/wrong-place-shootings-3c6e5061adb30d889ac3d071893ef129?

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Tennessee moves to shield gun firms after school shooting

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — In the wake of a deadly school shooting last month, Republican lawmakers in Tennessee awarded final passage Tuesday to a proposal that would further protect gun and ammunition dealers, manufacturers and sellers against lawsuits.

https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-gun-lawsuits-shooting-e35ded1be99d504b7ae1694ad030be17?

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Homeowner who shot Black teen Ralph Yarl pleads not guilty

LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — The 84-year old man who shot Ralph Yarl when the Black teenager went to his door by mistake pleaded not guilty Wednesday in a case that has shocked the country and renewed national debates about gun policies and race in America.

https://apnews.com/article/ralph-yarl-shooting-updates-c13170d6759f2963b01a68fc8a6332f7?

Common mistakes, uncommon reactions in 4 separate shootings

In the span of six days, seven people across the U.S. have been shot — one fatally — for making one of the most ordinary and unavoidable mistakes in everyday life: showing up at the wrong place.

https://apnews.com/article/wrong-place-shootings-3c6e5061adb30d889ac3d071893ef129?

Can a doorbell ring justify a ‘stand your ground’ shooting?

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Andrew Lester had already gone to bed when the doorbell rang a little before 10 p.m. He got up, grabbed a gun and went to check it out. Seeing a Black male appearing to pull the handle of the front door, police say the 84-year-old white man opened fire. No questions asked.

https://apnews.com/article/ralph-yarl-shooting-stand-your-ground-69f91b0a09b25f9758219897f5890278?

Texas cheerleaders shot after one says she got in wrong car

ELGIN, Texas (AP) — A man shot and wounded two cheerleaders in a Texas supermarket parking lot after one of them said she mistakenly got into his car thinking it was her own — the latest in a string of recent U.S. shootings apparently sparked by someone showing up at the wrong place.

https://apnews.com/article/texas-cheerleaders-shot-mistaken-location-4b5d0659a3768bc2a46b4756e6a5ee4a?

Man who shot Kaylin Gillis grew increasingly bitter about trespassers, neighbor says

When Kaylin Gillis and her friends took a wrong turn into an upstate New York driveway last weekend, they couldn’t have known the property was owned by a man who, according to a neighbor, had grown increasingly bitter over the years at people driving onto his land by mistake.

https://apnews.com/article/fatal-shooting-wrong-driveway-new-york-36fd62216cf3d9c20333d760148269a0?

What we know so far about the shooting of Kansas City teen Ralph Yarl

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Black teen Ralph Yarl was shot twice, in the head and arm, after going to the wrong home in Kansas City, Missouri, to pick up his younger brothers.

https://apnews.com/article/ralph-yarl-shooting-kansas-city-black-teen-154c4e3275732b83bc9f0026a9981b81?

Maine man killed parents then fired on motorists

https://apnews.com/video/law-enforcement-shootings-crime-maine-william-ross-b1aab00182664fb588f7fd6f86ca92af

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Semi-automatic rifle ban passes Washington state Legislature

BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — A ban on dozens of semi-automatic rifles cleared the Washington state Legislature on Wednesday and the governor is expected to sign it into law.

https://apnews.com/article/semiautomatic-rifle-ban-washington-adbbc5bc0d3b92da0122a91d42bcd4f6?

Colorado gun control bills progress; semi-auto ban unlikely

DENVER (AP) — A high school student told Colorado state lawmakers he’d work to oust them if they didn’t support a sweeping ban on semiautomatic weapons. The bill’s sponsor wiped back tears as she implored her Democratic colleagues to support the ban. A representative for a gun rights group vowed that if the bill passed and is signed by the governor, he’d sue the state before the ink dries.

https://apnews.com/article/colorado-gun-control-assault-weapons-ban-0edb4df8bce69da3d50f585087bba7b7?

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3 charged with murder in Sweet 16 party shooting in Alabama

DADEVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Two teenagers and a 20-year-old man have been arrested and charged with reckless murder in connection with a shooting that killed four young people at a Sweet Sixteen birthday party in rural Alabama, investigators announced Wednesday.

https://apnews.com/article/dadeville-alabama-shooting-birthday-sweet-16-a1ec4438d75a19dd2d36ca88eb28dc2f

Police make 6th arrest in Alabama Sweet 16 party shooting

DADEVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Investigators on Thursday charged a sixth person with reckless murder in connection with a deadly shooting at a Sweet 16 birthday party, saying in court documents they believe gunmen shot into the crowd during the celebration.

https://apnews.com/article/alabama-sweet-16-birthday-shooting-50e3dd7d82f2ff9b7ba4f260af94c3a2?

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Little girl, parents shot after ball rolls into gunman’s yard in Gastonia; suspect found in Florida: police

GASTONIA, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – A manhunt for an ‘armed and dangerous’ man accused of shooting a 6-year-old girl and her parents ended Thursday after he turned himself into authorities in Florida, according to the Gaston County Police Department.

https://www.qcnews.com/news/u-s/north-carolina/gaston-county/police-search-for-suspect-after-gastonia-double-shooting/?

Man accused of shooting 6-year-old neighbor, parents arrested in Florida

GASTONIA, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina man accused of shooting and wounding a 6-year-old girl and her parents after children went to retrieve a basketball that had rolled into his yard was arrested in Florida Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-shooting-ball-girl-parents-61dda7685d1b0a9bcfde5655f753be1c?

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Frequent shootings put US mass killings on a record pace

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The U.S. is setting a record pace for mass killings in 2023, replaying the horror on a loop roughly once a week so far this year.

https://apnews.com/article/mass-killings-record-pace-2023-d685a6cd67e0f449f3f9d1d8713d451c?

Distrust in America: Small mistakes, deep fear — and gunfire

In suburban Detroit, it was a lost 14-year-old looking for directions. In Kansas City, it was a 16-year-old who went to the wrong house to pick up his younger brothers. There was the 12-year-old rummaging around in a yard in small-town Alabama, the 20-year-old woman who found herself in the wrong driveway in upstate New York and the cheerleader who got into the wrong car in Texas.

https://apnews.com/article/yarl-shooting-cheerleader-guns-distrust-suspicion-33b55328443734ba5f85192d14352150?

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Colorado lawmakers favor battle weapons over the people they rip apart

An assault weapons ban died at the Legislature. That shameful failure is on Democrats.

https://coloradonewsline.com/2023/04/20/colorado-lawmakers-favor-battle-weapons-over-the-people-they-rip-apart/?

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8 people shot, including 12-year-old, in Washington, D.C.

Seven people were shot at one location, and the wounded girl was found at a second location, police said. All are expected to survive.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/8-people-shot-12-year-old-washington-dc-rcna80960?

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Gunfire took their son at 20. Now it takes his daughter, 12

Janet Rice headed to the hospital Thursday night, as she routinely does when tragedy befalls her community. A barrage of gunfire had injured several young people, including a 12-year-old girl struck in the head by a stray bullet.

https://apnews.com/article/gun-violence-hartford-secret-pierce-74173049450d4915c71a25dc1b0c9f5c?

Probe ordered after shots fired at errant Instacart driver

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida prosecutor has ordered an investigation after a homeowner fired shots into a couple’s car when they mistakenly turned onto his property while making a late-night Instacart delivery. Police closed the case without consulting the state attorney’s office.

https://apnews.com/article/florida-shooting-wrong-house-999e2cabb4a47561ec21c96021a0e8b3?

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Ex-officer who fatally shot Breonna Taylor hired as a deputy

CARROLLTON, Ky. (AP) — A former Louisville police officer who fired the fatal shot that killed Breonna Taylor has a new job in law enforcement - a controversial hiring that drew protesters to a rural Kentucky county northeast of the city.

https://apnews.com/article/myles-cosgrove-breonna-taylor-carroll-county-e2f4e1ab40b8982cdcb1e1b3e260f62c?

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1 dead in Oklahoma college shooting, suspect in custody

MIDWEST CITY, Okla. (AP) — A man shot to death a 20-year-old student Monday at Rose State College in Oklahoma, according to police, who reported no other injuries after the campus was briefly put on lockdown.

https://apnews.com/article/rose-state-college-oklahoma-active-shooter-0246dcf3cd19fb66f6ffff3fd0201509?

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Washington State Forced to Close Capitol as Guv Signs AR-15 Ban

Washington’s state Capitol was closed to the public on Tuesday due to security concerns as Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law a bill prohibiting the sale of AR-15s and more than 50 other types of assault weapons. The law will take effect immediately, making Washington the 10th state to enact such a ban. “These weapons of war, assault weapons, have no reason other than mass murder,” Inslee said at the ceremony, according to The Seattle Times. “Their only purpose is to kill humans as rapidly as possible in large numbers.” The ban, which applies to the sale, manufacture, and importation of 62 different gun models, does not affect weapons that people already own. At least one group opposing the measure has already filed a federal lawsuit seeking to have the law deemed unconstitutional. It’s also likely to face a legal challenge from the National Rifle Association, which sued Illinois in January over a similar law. “We are not intimidated by the NRA,” Inslee said at the ceremony.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/washington-state-closes-capitol-as-gov-jay-inslee-signs-ar-15-ban?

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Colorado governor signs 4 gun control bills after massacre

DENVER (AP) — Colorado’s governor signed four gun control bills Friday, following the lead of other states struggling to confront a nationwide surge in violent crime and mass shootings, despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that expanded Second Amendment rights.

https://apnews.com/article/gun-control-bills-colorado-governor-659ae16adc1275c42bdfd7f1fc094392?

Tennessee gun-control push at crossroads as proposal stalls

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Chances are shrinking fast for a key gun-control proposal to make it through the Tennessee Legislature in the wake of a deadly school shooting, as GOP lawmakers push back against the Republican governor’s proposal to keep firearms away from people who could harm themselves or others.

https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-gun-control-school-shooting-7180bf9ac635c480541f8babd9b7b279?

Minnesota Legislature considering 2 gun control proposals

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota House was considering a “red flag law” to allow the temporary confiscation of guns from people judged to be an immediate threat to themselves or others, as well as a proposal for expanded background checks for firearms transfers.

https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-gun-control-red-flag-background-checks-2fc0c09415b9b09cb58c4efd3d4ce4b3?

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A NJ pastor-politician is gunned down, and a community reels

SAYREVILLE, N.J. (AP) — Nicole Teliano used to play games on her phone in the mayor’s office while her mother worked down the hall several evenings a month, tending to the tedious, often acrimonious task of serving in local government.

https://apnews.com/article/new-jersey-councilwoman-slaying-nigerian-prosperity-church-18788fb4a5b88b90a48457c9d8ff2dcf?

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Why do mass shooters kill? It’s about more than having a grievance

An acutely troubling aspect of life in contemporary America is the growing proliferation of mass shootings that claim thousands of innocent lives year after painful year and make everyone feel unsafe.

https://kentuckylantern.com/2023/04/25/why-do-mass-shooters-kill-its-about-more-than-having-a-grievance/?

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200 officers are in a manhunt for the Texas suspect accused of killing his 5 neighbors. Authorities are offering $80,000 for information

More than 200 officers from multiple law enforcement agencies are searching for the gunman accused of shooting and killing five people, including a 9-year-old child, at a Cleveland, Texas, home after neighbors asked him to stop firing his rifle outdoors, officials said Sunday.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/30/us/cleveland-texas-shooting-sunday/index.html?

Man who lost wife, son in Texas shooting that killed 5 recalls how it unfolded

CLEVELAND, Texas (AP) — Wilson Garcia hadn’t even asked his neighbor to stop shooting his gun.

https://apnews.com/article/cleveland-texas-shooting-vigil-suspect-missing-8fce1ef4c0cdb8581f8820d1f1f917f2?

Widening manhunt for Texas gunman slowed by ‘zero leads’

CLEVELAND, Texas (AP) — A widening manhunt for a Texas gunman who fatally shot five neighbors continued coming up empty Sunday as officers knocked on doors, the governor put up $50,000 in reward money and the FBI appeared no closer to catching the killer after nearly two days of searching with a team that has grown to hundreds of people.

https://apnews.com/article/mass-shooting-san-jacinto-county-texas-e9b066918abf79f0473bc0a42fa25752?

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'Zero leads' on Texas shooting suspect; reward increased to $80K; witness describes killings: Updates

The manhunt expanded Sunday for the suspect in a shooting rampage at a rural Texas home that left five people dead, the homeowner in shock and a community in fear and mourning.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/04/30/cleveland-texas-mass-shooting-updates/11771693002/

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FL House votes to allow 18 year olds and above to buy long guns; Current law is 21

The GOP-controlled state House passed a measure Friday night that would reduce the age — 21 down to 18 — for someone to legally purchase rifles, shotguns and other long guns. The measure would repeal what’s on the books related to the shooting massacre at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County five years ago.

https://floridaphoenix.com/blog/fl-house-votes-to-allow-18-year-olds-and-above-to-buy-long-guns-current-law-is-21/?

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Few leads, false alarms as search for Texas gunman drags on

CLEVELAND, Texas (AP) — The search for a gunman in Texas who killed five neighbors from Honduras dragged into a third day Monday with false alarms and few apparent leads, while Republican Gov. Greg Abbott faced backlash over drawing attention to the victims’ immigration status.

https://apnews.com/article/texas-mass-shooting-9b240710ee835eed8d7da768bc8eb150?

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4 fatally shot in California in latest US mass killing

MOJAVE, Calif. (AP) — Four people were found fatally shot inside an RV in a small Mojave Desert community over the weekend, authorities said, yet another act of deadly violence that keeps the U.S. on a record pace for mass killings this year.

https://apnews.com/article/california-mojave-desert-four-dead-15dd8707198fbae3ba464850a5db4b10?

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Wife of Texas shooting suspect who killed 5 has been arrested

CLEVELAND, Texas (AP) — A woman identified as the wife of a Texas man suspected of killing five of his neighbors was arrested Wednesday, authorities said, for hindering the four-day manhunt for the man, who is also in custody.

https://apnews.com/article/texas-mass-shooting-manhunt-arrest-73ae0cc7cacd14c732cf6f6fc189aea8?

Suspected gunman in Texas mass shooting caught: What to know

CLEVELAND, Texas (AP) — A man suspected of opening fire at his neighbor’s home and killing five people was arrested Tuesday after a four-day manhunt, authorities in Texas said.

https://apnews.com/article/texas-mass-shooting-manhunt-honduras-f1965e0204eb44c32188bce3bc333498?

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Has There Ever Been a School Shooting Where Staff Could Carry Guns?

The data necessary to answer the question is sparse. There is no central database for tracking schools that allow staff members to carry firearms.

https://www.snopes.com/news/2023/04/28/shootings-schools-with-armed-staff/?