Over the past weekend, two deadly shootings occurred, one at Brown University in Rhode Island and the other at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. It is no secret that the number of mass shootings has increased over the past few years, with 380 across the U.S. this year alone. For seniors who are applying to colleges and for those who have plans to travel, these most recent shootings may reignite many emotions.
At Brown University, the incident occurred on Saturday afternoon while many students were studying for exams scheduled for this week. The shooting left students across the campus in shelter for hours, with two students losing their lives and several more injured before police were able to arrive on the scene. Initially, police detained a man whom they referred to as a “person of interest” in the crime, but they have since released him, with the suspect still at large. The effects being felt by the Brown community have been tremendous, with vigils held to remember the victims and other efforts in place to help bring comfort to students and faculty. Additionally, classes and remaining exams for the semester have been canceled, and the results for early decision applicants, which were scheduled to come out Monday, have been delayed 48 hours.
Similar effects have been felt in Australia after a shooting occurred Sunday around 7 p.m. Just hours before the incident, over a thousand people gathered for a Hanukkah event near the beach, joyfully celebrating. That is when two men killed at least 15 people and injured more, in what is Australia’s worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years. However, one specific moment has gained attention on social media, where a video shows a bystander heroically taking action, successfully tackling and taking the weapon away from one of the shooters and saving countless more lives. Later that night, the shooting was deemed a terrorist incident against the Jewish community, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling it “an act of pure evil.”
The prominence of the recent shootings over the past weekend raises the question of whether gun laws need to be reconsidered or of other possible solutions.
