Shooting revives arms control debate

The shooting at a Texas high school has revived the perennial hotbutton issue of arms control in the United States, and the ease with which weapons can be purchased.

In order to shoot 10 people dead and wound 10 others, teenager Dimitrios Pagourtzis opened fire Friday as the school day began in the town of Santa Fe with a shotgun and revolver legally purchased by his father. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, focused on the need to better address mental health issues and to arm school personnel, rather than calling for limits on the proliferation of legal weapons.

This vast and conservative southern state has among the most permissive firearm laws in the United States, a country where a third of children live in a household with at least one firearm. Any buyer as young as 18 can buy a firearm in Texas without a special permit, including for semi-automatic, rapid-fire weapons with large-capacity magazines.

Paradoxically, buyers must be 21 in order to purchase a handgun. A permit is required to carry this type of weapon, and more than a million Texans have the document.

Federally accredited weapons dealers rely on a cursory search for any red flags in a potential buyer’s documented mental medical history or potential criminal record. The process itself can easily be avoided through online purchases or at travelling fairs.

It’s also legal to openly carry a shotgun or rifle, except where it is expressly forbidden. Texas played host to the National Rifle Association’s annual convention earlier this month.

One dead in shooting after Georgia graduation

One person was killed and another wounded when an argument led to a shooting outside a high school graduation ceremony Friday night in metro Atlanta, police said.

The incident happened as people headed to their cars, Clayton County schools’ safety chief Thomas Trawick said. He said he couldn’t provide details about the injuries and had no information about any suspects.

The shooting followed a ceremony for graduates of the Perry Learning Centre, which prepares students for careers as an alternative to traditional high schools. It happened on the campus of Mount Zion High School, which provided overflow parking for people attending the ceremony at the Clayton County Schools Performing Arts Centre in Jonesboro, about 32km south of Atlanta.

Trawick said his initial reaction “wasn’t pleasant,” given news of a fatal shooting earlier in the day in Texas.

“The last thing you want to do is have a situation at a graduation that results in anyone being injured, and definitely not being shot,” he said.