On Sunday (May 7), Texas Governor Greg Abbott said addressing mental health issues is the solution to the uptick in mass shootings in the “Lone Star” state. His comments come less than 24 hours after at least eight people were killed and seven others injured at Allen Premium Outlets in the Dallas area.
“What Texas is doing in a big-time way, we are working to address that anger and violence but going to its root cause, which is addressing the mental health problems behind it,” Abbott told “Fox News Sunday.” The victims of the massacre ranged in age from 5 to 61 years old.
Authorities say a gunman armed with an assault rifle created a chaotic scene on Saturday (May 6) around 3:30 p.m. For several minutes, he fired round after round as shoppers fled for their lives, seeking refuge in a parking garage and stores, and some even running into traffic to escape the danger. “The shooting happened over and over and over again. It was nonstop,” Kimberly Blakey, who was with her 14-year-old daughter, told CNN.
The shooter was fatally wounded by an officer at the scene. Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey told the media in a press conference, “We believe he acted alone, and we don’t believe that there’s another threat at this time.” At the time of this report, the suspect has not been identified, nor has a description been released.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, upwards of 200 mass shootings have occurred within the first five months of 2023. Last year, Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, stunned the nation when a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers. Lawmakers have heard countless pleas for stricter gun laws, including increasing the age to purchase a weapon from 18 to 21, but no progress has been made in Texas; similar defeat has been seen in other states across the country.
“Ever since Texas has been a state, an 18-year-old has had the ability to buy a long gun, a rifle. Since that time, it seems like it’s only been in the past decade or two that we’ve had school shootings. For a century and a half, 18-year-olds could buy rifles, and we didn’t have school shootings. But we do. Maybe we’re focusing our attention on the wrong thing,” said the Republican governor days after the shooting. Last month, grieving parents’ hearts were shattered when they learned the shooter wrote “LOL” in his victims’ blood on a whiteboard.