Within the past week, there has been a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio and in El Paso, Texas. Between the two horrific tragedies, 31 people have died and more than 14 have been wounded. The week before these occurrences, a gunman killed three people at a festival in California.
A photo from 2013 has resurfaced on social media as a result of the continued debates around gun control. In the picture, a man carries an assault rifle on his back while he orders a drink from Starbucks.
Political commentator Charlie Sykes readdressed the photo by tweeting it with the caption: "Serious question: You walk into a business and see this —> do you 1. Leave, 2. Feel Safer, 3. Don’t Care."
Commenters had a variety of responses to the picture, most of which did not support open carry in light of recent events. One user wrote:
"If that person had any tactical weapon handling training there is zero chance he would be carrying that rifle in public, let alone in that manner. All firearm and weapon training begins with instilling respect and eradicating this type of clownish behavior."
Another person commented:
"If he were a person of color, the police would’ve taken him down because someone would’ve called them. Tamir Rice. Killed playing with a toy gun on a playground in front of his sister. He was 12 years old. John Crawford. Killed holding an air rifle that was sold in a WalMart."
Very few people said they would feel safer in this man's presence. Most had a similar response to this person:
"There's something demented about a person that feels they need to make a point by walking into a store with a weapon. Can you because the law currently says so? Yes. Are you a domestic terrorist in the eyes of every patron around you? Yes."
Today, August 8, is the 220th day of the year. In 2019, mass shooting gunmen have killed 275 people and wounded 1,065, Insider reports (information from the Gun Violence Archive).