It’s no secret what occurred at the Garden State Mall on the night of November 4th. An armed gunman named Richard Shoop nonchalantly walked in with a rifle and fired six shots almost immediately. Fortunately, he apparently did not intend to kill anyone, and nobody was harmed. In the end, he wound up taking his own life in an isolated area of the mall under construction. Police believe his intention was to commit “suicide by cop”, and allow the police to kill him.
It’s safe to say most of us have been to Garden State Plaza at least once. It is scary to imagine that a mass murder nearly happened in our backyard. Shootings that take place halfway across the country can seem surreal, but the thought of one so nearby only builds on that kind of fear. The movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, Sandy Hook Elementary, and most recently LAX are by no means close, but they still had a devastating impact on people across the nation. It would seem that a gun violence epidemic is spreading like a disease.
More than 11,000 Americans die in shooting incidents each year according to the Bureau of Justice statistics. Although New Jersey’s gun laws are strict, and the state has some of the lowest gun violence statistics in the country, our home is by no means immune from mass shootings. Guns are a hot and heavy topic here in America, with as many differing opinions as there are gun owners. This, however, doesn’t change the reality of the situation. Just as the price of freedom is eternal vigilance, the price of the 2nd amendment is eternal caution.