Tragedy Strikes Dollar General: Sheriff Rejects Gun Blame
In a somber turn of events, Jacksonville, Florida, finds itself grappling with a racially-charged mass shooting that took place at a Dollar General store. But Sheriff T.K. Waters is debunking the common narrative blaming guns for such tragedies.
“The story’s always about guns. It’s the people that [are] bad,” Sheriff Waters asserted during a press conference.
“This guy’s a bad guy. If I could take my gun off right now and lay it on this counter, nothing will happen. It’ll sit there. But as soon as a wicked person grabs ahold of that handgun and starts shooting people with it, there’s the problem. The problem is the individual.”
The alleged perpetrator, 21-year-old Ryan Christopher Palmeter, used an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle and a Glock handgun to carry out the attack. Tragically, he took his own life during the incident.
The victims of this horrifying event include 52-year-old Angela Michelle Carr, Dollar General employee A.J. Laguerre, and 29-year-old Jerrald Gallion.
Sheriff Waters clarified that there was no indication of illegal firearm acquisition by Palmeter, and the gun dealers who sold him the weapons did so within the bounds of the law.
“Now guns are a tool that people use to do horrible things. But it’s the individuals that wield these things. So we are working hard to try to stop that. But in this situation, in this case, there was nothing … illegal about him owning the firearms,” Waters emphasized.
Officials revealed that the shooter had a history of involvement in a 2016 domestic violence incident and had been involuntarily committed to a mental hospital for assessment.
Amid the chaos, Palmeter even managed to text his father, instructing him to break into his room. A suicide note and last will were found on the suspect’s computer, along with several manifestos espousing a “disgusting ideology of hate.”
In the wake of this tragedy, Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats are calling for stricter gun control measures, aiming to ban “assault weapons” and implement more comprehensive gun safety measures.
While grappling with the incomprehensible violence, Sheriff Waters reminded the community that the actions of one individual don’t define Jacksonville. “His sickening ideology is not representative of the values of this Jacksonville community that we all love so much,” Waters affirmed. “We reject this inexcusable violence, and this agency will not rest until this investigation is complete and every available avenue of accountability have been exhausted.”