Police announce fourth death in Arkansas grocery store shooting
NBCJun 25
US Experiences More Than a Dozen Mass Shootings Over Weekend
Above: Police respond to a September 2020 shooting in Rochester, New York. Image copyright: Joshua Rashaad McFadden/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
A Friday mass shooting at an Arkansas grocery store — where a 44-year-old armed with a pistol, a 12-gauge shotgun, and a bandolier killed four people and wounded nine others — was one of at least 14 mass shootings over the weekend.
By early Sunday, mass shootings reported in New York, Alabama, Missouri, and Ohio increased the number of such incidents in the US in 2024 to more than 240, according to the non-partisan Gun Violence Archive. That's an average of more than one mass shooting per day.
The Spin
Republican narrative
Democrats sadly leverage shooting incidents for political purposes when it comes to tightening gun restrictions. But most of their proposed new gun laws wouldn't do anything to stop these tragedies. Instead, they'd limit law-abiding citizens' Second Amendment rights, which should never be infringed. Democrat talking points conveniently ignore the number of times citizens need firearms for self-defense.
Democratic narrative
Republicans at every turn continue to block legislation that would make Americans safer. At minimum Democrats want to restore the assault weapons ban that effectively reduced these tragedies before Republicans allowed the law to expire. There's no such thing as an uninfringed right to possess firearms, as proven by the numerous laws Americans accept in the name of public safety.