The kid brought the loaded gun to school on the same day an 18-year-old had shot and killed 19 children and two teachers.
Trigger warning: This story contains themes of gun violence that some readers may find distressing.
A loaded gun was found inside the desk of a second-grade pupil at an elementary school in Sacramento. The incident happened on the same day an 18-year-old man reportedly killed 19 children and two teachers with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle at a school shooting in Texas. The shocking incident comes from Edward Kemble Elementary in Sacramento where a second-grader brought a loaded gun to school. It was classmates of the student who alerted the staff at the elementary school who then informed the police. Law enforcement arrived at the school to secure the weapon, reported CBS Sacramento. Parents were alarmed at the development, especially in the wake of the school shooting in Texas that shocked the nation.
The Sacramento City Unified School District promised parents they would be alert to prevent such incidents. “It is our promise to you that we will do all that we can to learn from today’s experience so that we can keep your child and our schools safe," said the Sacramento City Unified School District. “We are grateful that this incident did not result in a tragedy such as those that districts have experienced, including today’s tragic and senseless mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas. This is due in large part to the bravery and awareness of the students who came forward and alerted staff at Kemble today.” Sacramento City Unified announced that it is cooperating with police after they launched an investigation into the matter.
Gun violence in America and school shootings, in particular, have been the national discourse in the wake of the senseless shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers. This year has seen a total of 27 school shootings and 212 mass shootings in total. That is 212 mass shootings in 144 days in 2022, according to the nonprofit organization Gun Violence Archive. Salvador Ramos shot his grandmother before heading over to Robb Elementary School and killing 19 children and two teachers. His grandmother is recovering from injuries. The shooter was killed by law enforcement officers.
Parents who lost their loved ones in the school shooting said the cops were not prepared. Parents urged police officers to go into the school and save the kids. The shooter was on school premises for over 40 minutes before he was killed. “Go in there! Go in there!” nearby women shouted at the officers after gunshots rang out, reported AP News. Juan Carranza, 24, who was at the scene said the officers did not go in. Some of the anxious parents had considered charging into the school to save their loved ones. “Let’s just rush in because the cops aren’t doing anything like they are supposed to,” said Javier Cazares, who lost his fourth-grade daughter, Jacklyn Cazares in the attack. “More could have been done. They were unprepared,” he said.
Republicans and the NRA have been heavily criticized in the wake of the shooting for preventing Congress from implementing stricter gun laws that could have prevented mass shootings such as the one in Texas. Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke interrupted Governor Greg Abbott's press conference to call out the latter's inaction over the shooting. “The time to stop the next shooting is now and you’re doing nothing!” shouted O’Rourke at Abbott during the televised briefing, reported New York Post. “You said this was not predictable. This was totally predictable when you choose not to do anything,” said O’Rourke. Abbott has signed and boasted about signing a number of bills that helped loosened gun laws in the state. “If we do nothing, we will continue to see this,” said O’Rourke, “year after year, school after school, kid after kid.”
References:
https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2022/05/24/south-sac-school-gun-second-grader/
https://apnews.com/article/uvalde-texas-school-shooting-44a7cfb990feaa6ffe482483df6e4683
https://www.newsweek.com/gun-laws-texas-easy-carry-firearms-1709868
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Maskot
The school shooting at Uvalde, Texas, is a developing story, and we’ll update as we learn more. Information is swiftly changing and Women Working is committed to providing the most recent and verified updates in our articles and reportage. However, considering the frequency in developments, some of the information/data in this article may have changed since the time of publication.
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