After the carnage with twelve fatalities in the US state of Virginia, the police search for the motive of the perpetrator. The authorities announced the name of the attacker – DeWayne Craddock – on Saturday, according to media reports he was 40 years old. The longtime urban employee opened fire on Friday in the city administration in the coastal town of Virginia Beach and was later shot in a gun battle with the alarmed police officers.
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The fatalities were remembered at a press conference and prayer watch. The officials tried to focus on the victims rather than the assassins. They only mentioned the name of the perpetrator once and said they would not mention him further.
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Among the fatalities were seven men and five women, almost all of whom worked for the city located around 320 kilometers southeast of the capital Washington. The act caused horror worldwide. Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) called the news of the act of violence “dismaying”. “We think of the relatives and friends of the victims during these difficult hours,” he wrote on Twitter.
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According to police chief James Cervera, the offender had been an engineer at the Virginia Beach public utility for 15 years. He did not want to comment on possible disciplinary measures or other abnormalities in the personnel file. The Wall Street Journal reported that the man had recently been fired.
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The perpetrator was armed with a semi-automatic pistol, said Cervera. The background to the fact is still unclear: “At the moment there are more questions than answers.” According to the police, the perpetrator had equipped the firearm with a silencer and reloaded it with more ammunition during the attack. In addition, other weapons were found at the scene and in the perpetrator’s house.
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The shooter had legally bought several weapons, a federal official said in a press conference. He also legally acquired the weapons found at the scene. According to local media, the perpetrator had no serious criminal record.
Another discussion about gun laws
The attack rekindled the discussion about gun laws in the United States. In the United States, where the right to private possession of weapons is enshrined in the Constitution, there are repeated fatal firearms attacks. According to the Gun Violence Archive, the Virginia Beach attack was the 150th gun violence this year that left four or more people shot or killed.
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Democratic party leader Tom Perez told CNN: “We can do something about it.” The fight should be announced to the arms lobby organization NRA. His fellow party member, New York MP Gregory Meeks, told CNN: “It’s always the same. We spend a minute’s silence and nothing happens after that.” There are various bills ready for coordination. The NRA must answer the question of why common sense cannot win.
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“Another terrible shootout is shocking the nation,” tweeted Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. It was time to act. Senator Bernie Sanders, who is also running for the Democratic presidential candidacy, criticized the influence of the US arms lobby NRA on politics. Congress should no longer allow the NRA to dictate the law. “This disgusting gun violence must stop.”
Organizations’ efforts to fight for stricter gun laws fail due to the resistance of mainly conservative politicians and the gun lobby organization NRA. President Donald Trump said at an NRA event in April that his Republicans were the party that protected the right to hold arms. With a view to the Democrats, he said at the time: “They will also take your weapons away!” He promised the gun lobbyists not to interfere with the right to own guns.
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