A man opened fire at a FedEx distribution center in suburban Atlanta this morning, injuring six before killing himself. What makes this particular mass shooting unique is its location.
via ThinkProgress
The Georgia facility is located in Kennesaw, near Atlanta, a quiet suburb unique in the U.S. for mandating every household own at least one gun. The law is not enforced, so the Kennesaw gun ownership rate hovers around 50 percent, according to its police chief. That’s still higher than the average rate of gun ownership in the U.S., estimated to be about 34 percent.
I’m not blaming the victims who were shot this morning because they probably had no influence on the law that made gun ownership mandatory in 1982, but I am blaming the city government for fostering an environment that increases the chances of something like this happening.
Coincidentally, the state of Georgia just enacted a law that allows you to carry a concealed gun almost anywhere including airports and government buildings.
I’d like to think the status quo may change if the next mass shooting occurs at a state house or capital building, but I don’t believe it would. I believe the conservative response to such an event would be to arm every legislator in an ever-escalating arms race.