MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It has been just over two weeks since Collierville became the latest community rocked by a deadly mass shooting. Now that more details have been released, I can only conclude that we are powerless to stop this kind of carnage without policy changes involving high powered weapons.
The 29-year-old shooter who fatally shot a customer and wounded more than a dozen others at a Kroger store, armed himself with three guns and plenty of ammunition before going on his rampage. Two of them were semi-automatic weapons – a pistol and a rifle.
The shooter was a sushi vendor at the store, and because of the guns he used, he was able to carry out the shooting spree in a matter of minutes – and killed himself as police converged on the scene.
The only reason more people were not shot or killed is because store personnel utilized their run-hide-fight training – and led customers away from the gunfire. Plus, the official police response was just four minutes. And Collierville Police Chief Dale Lane told me two officers likely arrived sooner because they were already in the area.
But the senseless loss of life and serious injuries speak once again to the need for meaningful gun reforms. The shooter bought his weapons legally, but these types of guns are nothing more than killing machines, and I wish policy makers had the courage to ban them – once and for all.