Nothing changed after Newtown.
Nothing changed after Orlando.
Nothing changed after Las Vegas.
Sadly, nothing will change after this:
A gunman wearing all black and a ballistic vest opened fire with a rifle outside a small Baptist church in rural Texas and continued firing inside the building on Sunday, killing at least 26 people and turning a tiny town east of San Antonio into the scene of the country’s most recent mass horror.
Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas confirmed the death toll, which has steadily increased throughout the day after the shooting at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs. A pregnant woman and children were among the dead.
The authorities said at least 20 people were also injured. Among those killed, 23 people died inside the church, two outside the building and one person died after being transported to a hospital. The ages of the wounded and dead ranged from 5 to 72, the authorities said.
Two law enforcement sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the continuing investigation, identified the gunman as Devin P. Kelley, 26.
Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas, who said he was briefed by law enforcement authorities, said the gunman came from Comal County, which is northeast of San Antonio.
“He went there, he walked in, started shooting people and then took off” to Guadalupe County, which is northeast of Sutherland Springs, he said. The gunman was found dead in his car, the authorities said.
We know Republicans, right-wing media entities and the NRA will get their thoughts and prayers on for a few days, then go right back to facilitating the next massacre. When will it stop? It won’t, so long as large segments of this country refuse to countenance even the slightest restrictions on access to weapons of warfare.
Next year is the 50th anniversary of the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. We could try to honor their memory by doing something about the senseless gun violence and bloodshed in this country…but of course, we won’t.
UPDATE: True to form, Donald Trump and Mike Pence offer words, but will never offer action:
May God be w/ the people of Sutherland Springs, Texas. The FBI & law enforcement are on the scene. I am monitoring the situation from Japan.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 5, 2017
Karen & I send prayers to victims & their families in TX.We grieve w/ you & stand w/ resolve against evil. Thank you to the first responders
— Vice President Pence (@VP) November 5, 2017
