The United States was hit with yet another mass shooting on Monday, April 10, 2023, in Louisville, Kentucky. Five people lost their lives during this event and there are several people who were hospitalized, including a police officer who is in critical condition.

The event took place at a downtown Louisville bank, where the shooter was employed, at around 8:30am during a scheduled meeting of bank staff. The shooter used an AR-15 rifle, which he had purchased just six days before the shooting. When police showed up following multiple calls to 9-1-1 by witnesses, the gunman was still shooting, and multiple officers rushed into the event to try to protect those around them. The following gunfight between the shooter and police resulted in the death of the gunman.   

One of the 9-1-1 calls made to the police when the shooting occurred was at 8:41am and it was the mother of the gunman stating that she was concerned over information the gunman’s roommate had told her about. On the phone with the 9-1-1 operator she stated, “I don’t know anything” and “I know he doesn’t own any guns.” Her confusion over her son having a gun was clear and sincere as he had purchased the gun just six days before the shooting. The family was in fact aware that he struggled with mental health issues such as depression, but according to CNN, none of them could have seen something like this coming.  

Now, as Louisville and the Nation heal from this horrific event, calls from officials in Louisville are being made, such as Mayor Greenberg stating in a press conference, “This isn’t about partisan politics. This is about life and death. This is about preventing tragedies. You may think this will never happen to you, never happen to any of your friends or loved ones. I used to think that. The sad truth is that now, no one in our city, no one in our state, no one in our country has that luxury anymore.”

Kentucky is a state which holds some of the least restrictive gun regulations in the country and also has one of the worst gun violence issues in the country. In Kentucky, when one purchases a firearm, there is no wait time between the purchase of the firearm and receiving the firearm. One doesn’t even need a concealed carry permit in the state. This leads to the state having some of the worst gun safety issues in the country, with practically anyone over 21 being able to purchase a gun and have it in many public places.  

This marks the 146th mass shooting in the United States just this year, according to Vox News. According to EVERYTOWN, a gun safety advocacy group, around 120 people die in the United States every day, and a total average of around 43,375 Americans die at the hands of firearms every year. This epidemic is something which Vox News referred to as “America’s unique, enduring gun problem.”