US sees almost 1,000 shootings in one week with ‘430 killed’ as gun violence surges

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By Nika Shakhnazarova

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Nearly 1,000 shootings have taken place in the US in just one week, with 430 deaths being recorded last week alone as gun violence continues to surge.

The alarming number of shootings took place between July 17 and 23 as hundreds of innocent people lost their lives in crossfires.

According to ABC News and the Gun Violence Archive, 915 shootings took place across the US, leaving a total of 1,007 people wounded.

There have been 24,000 gun fatalities recorded so far in 2021, per ABC News.

The number of gun deaths this year is expected to pass last year's 43,000+, which was the highest number recorded in at least two decades.

ABC News reports that the states with the most gun violence over the past week were Illinois with 109 incidents, Texas with 63 incidents, Pennsylvania with 59, California with 52, and New York with 48.

What's more, gun violence has also taken place at sporting events last week.

As thousands of fans gathered in Wisconsin to celebrate the Milwaukee Bucks' NBA championship, two shootings broke out in downtown Milwaukee.

Three people were wounded just hours after the Bucks' victory over The Suns.

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People run for cover after shots were fired at Nationals Park. Credit: MediaPunch Inc / Alamy

Last weekend, shots were also fired outside of Nationals Park in Washington DC as people in two vehicles shot at each other outside the park in the middle of a game.

The shooting led to mass panic in the stadium, as fans and players scrambled to run for cover as shots could be heard being fired.

The evening took a turn for the worse when one innocent bystander was shot and hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, while two others who were in one of the cars later showed up at area hospitals for treatment for gunshot wounds.

According to the gun violence archive, more than 800 of the victims who have died of gun violence so far in 2021 were under the age of 18. The data showed that 174 were under the age of 12.

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President Joe Biden spoke about the surge in gun violence at a CNN Town Hall event last week. Credit: REUTERS / Alamy

Speaking at a CNN town hall event last week, President Joe Biden spoke about the surge in gun violence.

"I'm continuing to push to eliminate the sale of those things," Biden said.

"But I'm not likely to get that done in the near term. So, here's what I've done. The people who, in fact, are using those weapons are acquiring them illegally."

He went on: "And so what happens is, I've gotten the ATF out, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. I have them increase their budget and increase their capacity, along with the Justice Department, to go after the gun shops that are not abiding by the law of doing background checks."

He said his administration also plans to "do major investigations and shut those guys down and put some of them in jail for what they're doing."

Featured image credit: Petar Maksimovic / Alamy