People around the country were eager to celebrate Halloween this year, as it was the first somewhat normal one since the pandemic started. Unfortunately, senseless gun violence marred celebrations in two U.S. cities.
On Twitter, Daily Loud reported 20 injuries and one fatality “in two separate mass shootings in Chicago and Kansas on Halloween night.”
For those of us who live in the U.S., this is a frighteningly common occurrence.
What Happened In Kansas City?
According to sources, the shootings in Kansas City, Kansas occurred first. They happened “about thirty minutes” before the ones in Chicago.
There was a Halloween house party with high school- aged attendees.
Police Chief Karl Oakman said “the shooting broke out after a group arrived at the party without being invited.”
What Happened In Chicago?
Chicago, also called the Windy City, was the site of a drive-by shooting.
Of the 14 people shot, two were teenagers and one was just three years old.
They were “struck by gunfire near the intersection of South California and West Poke street at around 9:30 PM.”
Americans Are Largely Desensitized
Because of the frequency of mass shootings, many Americans have resigned themselves to the very real possibility that nothing will change.
The statistics are sobering. According to BBC, “in 2020 alone, more than 45,000 Americans died at the end of a barrel of a gun, whether by homicide or suicide, more than any other year on record. The figure represents a 25% increase from five years prior, and a 43% increase from 2010.”
Also, Small Arms Survey, placed the US way ahead of other gun-owning countries.
“The US ratio of 120.5 firearms per 100 residents, up from 88 per 100 in 2011, far surpasses that of other countries around the world,” they found.
People On Twitter Sounded Off About The Shootings
An overwhelming amount of Twitter users said they weren’t surprised.