Another tragedy, another push for gun reform

Another tragedy struck the Southland over the weekend as people celebrated the Lunar New Year at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio on West Garvey Avenue in Monterey Park.

A gunman opened fire, killing 11 people — six women and five men, according to news reports. There were also 10 others injured.

Gunfire erupted around 10:20 p.m., Saturday, in the predominantly Asian community several miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

The wounded were taken to hospitals with conditions ranging from stable to critical, according to news reports.

About 20-30 minutes after the Monterey Park shooting, the shooter entered the Lai Lai Ballroom in nearby Alhambra, armed with a magazine-fed semi-automatic pistol that had an extended, large capacity magazine attached to it, according to news reports.

An hours-long manhunt led police officers to a white van in Torrance, about 25 miles southwest of Monterey Park. During the manhunt, a photo of the suspect, identified as Huu Can Tran, 72, of Hemet was released. Late Sunday morning, police in tactical vehicles and bomb squad trucks surrounded the parked van in a parking lot near Sepulveda Boulevard and Hawthorne Boulevard and found Tran dead inside, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

It’s unclear what Tran’s motive was for the shootings. Police executed a search warrant on his mobile home in Hemet and the investigation is underway.

Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned the violence and said real gun reform at the national level is needed. But is that really the answer?

Madmen who are hell bent on carrying out their warped agenda will always find a way to do it, whether it’s with a semi-automatic weapon or an automatic weapon, a knife or other means.

It seems that whenever a tragedy like this strikes a community, the politicians use it as a way to further push their agendas.