Rabat – The recent mass school shooting in Texas has once again sparked outrage and disbelief among Americans and the rest of the world and opened another debate about gun control in the US. The shooting claimed the lives of 19 young children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School on Tuesday.
The gunman, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, stormed into the elementary school with a long rifle and randomly opened fire in several classrooms before he was shot dead by the police. According to Sergeant Arick Estrada, Ramos shot his grandmother Tuesday morning before arriving at the school. The grandmother was in critical condition as of late Tuesday.
The attack, which took place two days before summer break, left the small community of Uvalde, Texas, angry and heartbroken as families and friends grieved the lost lives of the innocent victims, especially the children.
The horrifying attack came just ten days following the racist mass shooting that took the lives of 13 people, 11 of whom are people of color in Buffalo, New York.
In recent years, the United States has witnessed an alarming number of shootings, including attacks targeting schools, and many Americans are now calling for new, stricter gun control regulations.
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In an emotional appeal he made hours after the Texas school attack, President Joe Biden lashed out at the murderous laxity of gun regulations in the US, calling for substantial changes in gun laws across the country. “When in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobbies? It is time to turn this pain into action,” he said.
The second amendment of the US constitution gives Americans the “right to keep and bear arms,” with many states allowing teenagers to purchase guns without parental consent.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, 213 mass shootings have occurred so far this year in the US. The same source has counted 693 mass shootings in the country last year, 34 of which were school shootings.
Beyond disbelief-stricken Texans and Americans in general, the latest attack has triggered strong international reactions. French President Emmanuel Macron took to Twitter to express his grief and support to the victims’ families. “We share the shock and grief of the American people, and the rage of those who are fighting to end the violence,” he said.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he was “deeply saddened by the news of the murder of innocent children in Texas,” extending his condolences to the victims’ families.
