The violence is now being called the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, and the tragic death toll seems likely to rise.
A gunman who fired upon thousands of people attending a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip has killed at least 58 people, police say. Some 515 people were injured in the mass shooting and panic that ensued. At least one of the dead is an off-duty police officer who was attending the concert.
The suspect in the case is also dead. He’s been identified as Stephen Paddock, 64, a white male who is a resident of Nevada.Police say they’re still trying to learn what could have motivated such an attack.
“The Clark County Fire Department estimated that approximately 406 people were transported to area hospitals,” the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department says.
Gunfire at the multi-day Route 91 Harvest concert was reported around 10:08 p.m. Sunday, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said at a news briefing. NPR
We as a nation must not lose sight of our common humanity. Emotions of hate and division must be replaced with emotions of love and unity. We are losing ourselves to a blindness of our human condition without respect of human dignity and goodwill. Placing blame does not replace the fundamental truth of our human existence. I ask all San Diegans to seek a commonality, a brotherhood and civility in our political disagreements. Daniel Smiechowski
In the meantime Republicans are passing a bill that lifts ban on firearm silencers. This would make shooters harder to locate by the sound of gunfire, and make victims unable to tell from what direction the gunfire is coming.
Hearing Protection Act of 2017
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) eliminate the $200 transfer tax on firearm silencers, and (2) treat any person who acquires or possesses a firearm silencer as meeting any registration or licensing requirements of the National Firearms Act with respect to such silencer. Any person who pays a transfer tax on a silencer after October 22, 2015, may receive a refund of such tax.
The bill amends the federal criminal code to preempt state or local laws that tax or regulate firearm silencers..
And yet this has nothing to do with the shooter in Vegas who I’m pretty sure broke a few laws that were already in place.
San Diego attorney Jennifer Irvine was one of the victims; she did criminal defense and family law. http://www.10news.com/news/san-diego-attorney-among-victims-of-las-vegas-concert-shooting
Taylor Winston of Ocean Beach was at the concert in Las Vegas and the former marine helped transport many injured to an area hospital. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/public-safety/sd-me-sandiego-shot-20171003-story.html