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MASS SHOOTINGS

Texas Lt. Governor Proposes Reducing Number of Doors in Schools to Eliminate School Shootings

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Texas GOP Lt. Governor Dan Patrick on Friday proposed reducing the number of doors schools have as a means of eliminating school shootings.

“We have to look at the design of our schools moving forward, and retrofitting schools that are already built,” Patrick told reporters after Friday’s mass shooting in Texas, this one taking the lives of 10 people, including nine students, at Santa Fe High School.

“There are too many entrances and too many exits to our over 8,000 campuses in Texas,” Patrick said in an afternoon press conference (video below.)

RELATED: ABBOTT SPEAKS ON TEXAS SCHOOL MASS SHOOTING – DOES EVERYTHING HE CAN TO NOT SAY ‘GUNS’ OR ‘SHOOTING’

“There aren’t enough people to put a guard at every entrance and exit,” the Lt. Governor said, suggesting the state would need to hire up to 40,000 people to guard every entrance and exit in all the school buildings.

Patrick suggested schools should be run like office building, saying, “maybe we need to look at limiting the entrance and exits into our schools so that we can have law enforcement looking at the people who come in one or two entrances.”

“We’re going to have to be creative. We’re going to have to think out of the box,” Patrick urged.

“Had there been one single entrance for every student, maybe he would have been stopped,” Patrick said. “Now that will take a lot of work and a lot of money, but maybe we need to do the work and do the money to protect children the best we can.”

RELATED: WATCH: ARMED TRUMP-SUPPORTING MAGA BRO SHOWS UP AT TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING TO ‘MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN’

Patrick, who has worked hard to raise his national profile, added that “as a nation, we should look at the design of these schools right now.”

As a Lt. Governor Patrick in some respects wields more power than Governor Greg Abbott, because he also controls the state Senate. That gives him authority over over spending bills, and over which bills will be voted on, and which lawmakers will chair which committee.

Patrick has a 100% approval rating from the NRA.

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MASS SHOOTINGS

Wake Up: There Were 41 Mass Killings, 33 Mass Shootings in 2019

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4 years ago

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December 24, 2019

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There’s still another week left of 2019 and analysts have dropped some serious baggage as the world prepares to bid adieu to one of the deadliest years on record.

According to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University, there were more mass killings in 2019 than any other year dating back to 2006. Researchers delved back to the 1970s for comparison.

The data compiled shows that 2019 was fraught with 41 mass killings and, of those, 33 were mass shootings. In total, more than 210 people perished.

“The majority of the killings involved people who knew each other — family disputes, drug or gang violence or people with beefs that directed their anger at co-workers or relatives,” the report showed.

Guns were the weapon in all but eight of the mass killings studied with knives and axes next. The second-most killings in a year prior to 2019 was 38 in 2006.

James Densley, a criminologist and professor at Metropolitan State University in Minnesota, told CNN that the AP/USA Today/Northeastern database confirms and mirrors what his own research into exclusively mass shootings has shown.

“What makes this even more exceptional is that mass killings are going up at a time when general homicides, overall homicides, are going down,” Densley said. “As a percentage of homicides, these mass killings are also accounting for more deaths. ”

He added, “This seems to be the age of mass shootings.”

The total number of deadly mass shootings in the U.S. in 2019 is an average of one every 15 days.

Sandy Hook Promise released “Sixteen Facts About Gun Violence and School Shootings” here. Their “Back to School” PSA is also below.

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MASS SHOOTINGS

Police: Aurora Gunman Who Killed 5 People ‘Absolutely’ Should Not Have Been Allowed to Own a Gun (Video)

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5 years ago

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February 16, 2019

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Convicted Felon With Long History of Arrests Including for Domestic Violence-Related Issues

Aurora, Illinois police say the gunman who shot and killed five people and wounded several others on Friday should not have been allowed to own a gun. They cite an initial background check that did not reveal an out-of-state felony conviction, NBC News reports.

“He absolutely he was not supposed to be in possession of a firearm,” Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman said.

The gunman, Gary Martin, was a fired warehouse worker who had been issued a permit in 2014 that he used to purchase a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber handgun.

But the shooter, who also wounded five police officers along with one of his former co-workers, had a 1995 Mississippi felony conviction for aggravated assault that should have barred him from being able to purchase a gun. That conviction was flagged only after he applied for a concealed carry permit.

Police say Martin had been sent a letter informing him he had to relinquish the weapon. They are not currently certain if any follow up had taken place.

“Martin also had six prior arrests with the Aurora Police Department, including arrests for traffic and domestic violence-related issues, according to Ziman. She said his last arrest in Aurora was in 2008 for violating an order of protection,” NBC News adds. There was also a 2017 arrest in another jurisdiction for disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property.

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MASS SHOOTINGS

California Shooter Identified as 28 Year Old White Male – Drove Mother’s Car to Bar Before Killing 12

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5 years ago

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November 8, 2018

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This article has been updated to reflect information from Sheriff’s press conference.

The suspect believed to have shot 12 people to death in a Ventura County, California bar overnight has been identified.

The Ventura County Sheriff at a 10 AM ET press conference identified the suspect as Ian David Long, and says he was 28. He adds Long was a veteran and former Marine, and is believed to have died from a self-inflicted wound.

“The shooter was found dead at the scene from a gunshot wound. Several law enforcement officials identified him as Ian Long, 29,” NBC News reports. “Law enforcement officials had earlier described him as a heavily tattooed white male.”

An ABC News affiliate in Southern California has named him as David Ian Long.

The LA Times adds that the shooter “drove his mother’s car to the attack and said nothing upon entering the bar.”

“Authorities said the man was heavily tattooed but apparently didn’t have identification on him,” the Times notes.

This is a breaking news and developing story. Details may change. This story will be updated, and NCRM will likely publish follow-up stories on this news. Stay tuned and refresh for updates.

 

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