On Feb. 19, a 15 year-old boy was killed and four others left injured after an unidentified gunman opened fire during a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans. All the injured were reported to be in stable condition shortly after shooting, including a 4 year-old girl. The only suspect at this time is 21 year-old Mansour Mbodj, who was arrested for illegally carrying a weapon directly after the shooting.
Many people’s first inclination upon hearing about a tragedy of this scale would be to find somebody to blame. Police officers are often an easy target for this scapegoating, as some argue their lack of diligence is to blame. However, along the parade route, the New Orleans Police Department confiscated 112 firearms. Clearly, the police department was working to prevent an event like this from taking place, but just one undetected firearm can cause a massive amount of casualties.
So if the police department isn’t to blame, who is?
Many turn to examine the lax state gun laws of Louisiana. Citizens of Louisiana are allowed to openly carry a gun at 18, and conceal carry a weapon at 21. The only reason any guns were confiscated at the parade is that it is illegal to carry a gun along a parade route. Considering all this, it’s no wonder that Louisiana has one of the highest gun death rates in the country, suffering 1,183 firearm deaths in 2020. For comparison, Iowa only had 351 deaths in the same year.
However, as dangerous as the Louisiana gun laws are, they are not the true culprit. The root cause of mass shootings in the United States lies in the lack of federal regulation surrounding gun ownership. Politicians are not being held accountable for their inactivity, allowing mass shootings to persist.
During the recent Highland Park shooting, Robert Crimo used a high powered rifle to kill seven people and injure dozens more during a Fourth of July parade, including both parents of a two year old boy. Crimo was taken into custody, where he was charged with 117 felonies. Notably excluded from these charges was his possession of a firearm.
Highland Park’s mayor, Nancy Rotering, believes that this shooting is representative of a much larger problem. “Obviously we have a problem in this country if we have weekly mass shootings involving these weapons of war, and it’s important for us to talk about how to provide that protection on a broader scale, whether it’s statewide (or) whether it’s nationally,” she said in a statement.
One of the most alarming details about this incident was Crimo’s ability to wield a gun despite his disturbed mental state. In 2019, Crimo attempted suicide, resulting in a police visit to his home. In the same year, a family member reported Crimo to the police, saying that he was going to “kill everyone”. After this tip, the police confiscated Crimo’s large collection of knives, one dagger and one sword.
Despite these incidents, Crimo was allowed to purchase five guns from the ages of 19 to 20 with his father’s permission. Every Illinois resident needs a Firearm Owner Identification card, also known as a FOID. Because Crimo was under 21 at the time of purchasing these weapons, his father sponsored his FOID, allowing Crimo to legally purchase the firearms. Because of this, Crimo’s father also faced criminal charges after the incident.
Despite Crimo’s incredibly disturbed mental state, he passed his background check, allowing him to get the gun he would eventually use to kill and injure hundreds of people. This clearly demonstrates a flaw in the system, as people who are mentally disturbed like Crimo should not be allowed to purchase, own or wield a firearm until they pass a more thorough background check.
On top of the lack of stringent background checks, many lawmakers are not taking effective measures to prevent mass shootings, instead choosing to offer meaningless thoughts and prayers.
After the infamous 2017 Las Vegas concert shooting, politicians from all over the country raced to express their sympathy for the 59 dead and more than 527 injured. President Donald Trump offered his condolences to the victims and their families in a statement shortly after the tragedy. “Hundreds of our fellow citizens are now mourning the loss of a loved one,” Trump said. “We cannot fathom their pain. We cannot imagine their loss. To the families of the victims, we are praying for you, and we are here for you.” Mike Pence and Hilary Clinton also shared similar messages through social media.
The irony of the situation is that although Trump claimed to be on the side of the victims, he passed many laws during his presidency that made it easier for people to obtain and use firearms, especially those with severe mental illnesses or criminal records. The hypocrisy of his actions is infuriating, as it’s laws like these that allow mass shootings to continue and innocent people to die. Given these policy changes, it’s no surprise that upon further investigation, the police found 23 firearms in Paddock’s hotel room and 19 more in his house.
Even as minor steps continue to be made, politicians are still unwilling to discuss the larger issue at hand. In 2022, President Biden signed the first gun reform bill to pass Congress in 30 years. This bill increased security on background checks run on domestic abusers and people between the ages of 18 and 21. And yet, despite this landmark bill, the Mardi Gras parade shooter was still able to purchase the weapon that injured a 4 year-old little girl.
PV Deputy Jamey Fah believes that gun reform is an important issue in our society, but must be dealt with tactfully. “Personally I believe there is a middle ground most people would like to see our gun legislation meet at. Reasonable restrictions on purchase, sale and carry of firearms seems like something everyone could agree on… The sticking point for most people is the ‘Reasonable’ part,” he said.
As a collective society, it’s time we begin to rethink our perspective on gun control. When just one gun is allowed to get into the hands of someone with malicious intent, resulting in weekly mass shootings all over the country, it’s clear the system is no longer working. Politicians and American citizens on both sides of the political aisle need to work together on this issue to keep our country safe.
