School shooting reopens debate on guns in US

The national debate on gun violence was rekindled once more on Thursday, with another fatal shooting at an American high school.

At least two students died and three were injured when a third student pulled a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun from his backpack at a Southern California high school and began shooting before the start of classes.

Authorities said the first 911 calls of shots being fired came in at 7:38 am at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, a suburb about35 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

The first units arrived on the scene within two minutes. They also found the 16-year-old shooter, identified in various reports as Nathaniel Berhow, with a gunshot wound to the head.

The deceased were a 16-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, authorities said. Also being treated at the hospital were two female students, aged 14 and 15, and another male student, aged 14. The alleged shooter was listed in grave condition.

The news of a second fatality came in the middle of a news conference at which officers were providing updates on the shooting.

"We just received word that one of the 14-year-old victims at the hospital has also passed away, just moments ago," Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said. "Our fatalities now are two. With heavy hearts, we are going to move on with the investigation and figure out what went wrong," the sheriff said.

Captain Kent Wegener of the Sheriff's Department said the entire incident, captured on videotape, took 16 seconds as the suspect stood in one spot and fired on one student after another.

"From right where he was standing, he doesn't chase anybody, he fires from where he is until he shoots himself," Wegener said.

"I hate to have Saugus be added to the names of Columbine, Parkland, Sandy Hook, but it's a reality that affects us all throughout the nation, something that we are going to have to deal with," the sheriff added in referencing past shootings at US schools that claimed scores of victims.

One thing that seems to be contributing to the increase in mass shootings in schools is the copycat phenomenon, said Adam Winkler, a specialist in American constitutional law and a law professor at UCLA.

"It's very difficult to prevent mass shootings in a country where guns are easy to get a hold of," said Winkler.

California has some of the toughest gun laws in the nation. It bans most assault weapons and .50 caliber rifles. It also restricts the sale, transfer, manufacture, and possession of large-capacity ammunition magazines.

In October, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a package of 15 bills aimed at strengthening gun-violence prevention.

Winkler, however, said California's laws are not relatively very strict because they "don't prevent dangerous people from getting their hands on guns, apparently", he said.

The William S. Hart Union High School District, which includes Saugus High School, said it is offering counseling for students and community members.

"The gun violence experienced across our nation, and all too often on school campuses, has prompted our district, like others, to conduct staff and student trainings for these unthinkable events. We take the training seriously; we prayed that we would never need it. Yet today, our brilliant staff bravely and vigilantly went into action," Deputy Superintendent Mike Kuhlman wrote on the district website.

"Today we're confronted with yet another heartbreaking school shooting. Once again I ask, when will enough be enough? Congress has the ability to reduce these mass shootings. What is lacking is courage among Senate Republicans and the president to actually take action," Senator Dianne Feinstein posted to her Twitter account.

#GunControlNow and #EnoughIsEnough became some of the most popular hashtags on Twitter shortly after the shooting Thursday.

US Vice-President Mike Pence expressed his condolences and conveyed a message on behalf of President Trump.

"I spoke to President Trump not long ago, and he asked me to convey his deepest sympathies to the families of the victims and the entire Santa Clarita community," he said.

"To every American, and all of you gathered here, we say: This president and this administration will remain resolved to bring the scourge of mass shootings to an end.  And we will not rest or relent until we end this evil in our time and make our schools and our communities safe again," he said.

As of Nov 14, the United States has sustained 366 mass shootings, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

There have been 85 incidents of gunfire on school grounds in 2019, according to Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, a non-profit that tracks incidents of gun violence in the US.

The shootings have usually been done by a single, lone male aged 16 or 17, according to the Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Postgraduate School (CHDS).

Reuters contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at teresaliu@chinadailyusa.com