On Saturday, May 14th, an 18-year-old white man named Payton S. Gendron carried out a shooting that killed 13 people, 11 of whom were African American at a supermarket in Buffalo NY. Four of those who were killed worked at the store, and others were community figures. The trip to Buffalo is over 200 miles from Gendron’s hometown of Conklin, and he allegedly arrived one day before the shooting to “conduct reconnaissance”(NPR). The attack was live-streamed on twitch but was taken down approximately 2 minutes after the shooting began. He arrived in tactical gear and body armor strong enough to survive a bullet from a security guard. By the time police arrived Gendron had his gun pointed to his neck and he was put under arrest. Gendron is currently being charged with first-degree murder and potentially faces life in prison without parole.
Leading up to the attack, Gendron posted a 180-page racist and anti-Semitic “manifesto” to the online message board “4-chan.” This post contained plans for the attack as well as a full host of anti-Semitic and racist claims. Gendron consistently cites the “replacement theory” conspiracy as justification for his actions. This conspiracy claims that Black people seek to replace White Americans entirely in society and has even seen some mention from large right-wing names such as Tucker Carlson. The document also states that Buffalo was the target because how it had the “highest number of Black people in his vicinity”(NBC). Tucker Carlson has come under scrutiny due to his rhetoric surrounding the replacement conspiracy theory. Gendron also stated within his manifesto that critical race theory is “a part of a Jewish plot and a reason to justify mass killings of Jews.”
Before the shooting Gendron was already a white supremacist and anti-Semite. He allegedly began following the replacement conspiracy around the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and continued to follow these ideas. He also threatened to cause a school shooting last year. As a result, he was given a mental evaluation and no other known punishments. This leads many to wonder how he was able to buy a weapon in the first place. Not to forget to mention that the massacre was carried out using an AR-15 assault rifle that had an extended magazine that was illegal in the state of New York. He also had another rifle and a pistol in his car which authorities discovered after the shooting. This means that he either acquired the weapon illegally or brought it across state lines after buying it elsewhere.
The fact that shootings like this continue to happen within the United States is a travesty and a horrible stain on the country as a whole. The fact that these continue to happen, and yet barely any action has been taken to reduce the second amendment is honestly horrifying. The racist motivations for the attack highlight how radical people can become through online media platforms, and how they could or should be held accountable for what comes from them.
Questions:
1. How is this different from the Kyle Rittenhouse case last year?
2. What are your thoughts as to how authorities dealt with the situation?
3. With shootings like this becoming so common, do you believe that the second amendment has a place in modern America?
Sources:
5 comments:
The first difference that comes to mind between this and the Rittenhouse case is that it’s impossible to ignore Gendron’s racist motives and to glorify this, as many have done to Rittenhouse. Although they both murdered innocent people, somehow the right sees Rittenhouse a “hero” acting in “self-defense” and attempting to protect his community from BLM “mob violence,” when in reality he used the chaos of the situation as an excuse for murder—murder he committed with an illegally obtained AR-15 style gun, similar to Gendron. In a ridiculous failing of our justice system, Rittenhouse was acquitted, which I don’t think will happen to Gendron. I believe that these shootings and countless others offer definite proof that the second amendment has no place in modern America. The “right to bear arms” has led to the loss of too many innocent lives to be justified. There is absolutely no reason that an 18 year old, especially one who threatened a school shooting, should have access to an AR-15. The lack of gun control laws in America is appalling and it is far past time to address this, but action should be taken immediately. Additionally, I think that more blame should be put upon Fox News for spouting the racist ideology that led to this shooting. “Replacement theory” is thinly veiled white supremacy that should be endorsed by a network that millions of people watch—I’m not surprised that such racist and hateful ideas have led to violence, although as Cody said, it’s horrifying that it has.
This was truly a horrific event and it is extremely saddening to see repeated acts of violence targeted towards specific groups within the U.S. The constant involvement of firearms in such shootings and crimes in the past years frequently brings attention to questions of gun accessibility and the 2nd amendment, yet minimal action is taken other than verbal discourse. I feel that there is always an outcry after these terrible shootings yet we should be working to increase prevention, add gun restrictions, and try to best ensure that anyone who does purchase a firearm will be a responsible owner of that weapon. I can't believe that Peyton Gendron, who had a history of antisemitism and anti-black sentiment was sold a weapon - anyone with sense who would read his posts and threats of violence should have been immediately alarmed and prevent his getting access to a gun. These shootings seem to be becoming more common which is very frightening, and the ideas prompting violence often are so far fetched, extreme, and nonsensical that it is very concerning that such misinformation and delusions are driving people to commit terrible crimes. Hopefully change can be made through legislation in the near future rather than just continued conversation.
Over the course of this year, I have commented on many blog posts all talking about gun control and the violence that guns can cause, such as the Kyle Rittenhouse case. Again and again I feel like I see comments and posts saying that change needs to be done. However, we keep hearing stories about mass killings in stores, schools, and churches. These stories just show how no matter how many people die from gun violence, change is not being made. At this point, I think that there needs to be some major reformation to gun control laws in America, and personally I do not think that the second amendment should continue to have a place in our society, but I unfortunately do not think that it will happen any time soon.
The Kyle Rittenhouse case was one where the shooter killed in the name of self defense despite putting himself in that dangerous situation. In this case the shooter entered the grocery store with the full intent of killing people. I think the authorities should investigate thoroughly how Peyton became radicalized and take radicalization groups on the internet more seriously since they have created multiple dangerous individuals over time. I agree with his sentancing, but I think the authorities didn’t do enough to prevent the shootings from happening despite all the warning signs that he was a potential danger apparent through his posts and the community. I think with all the shooting happening and the fact that shootings are preventable if dangerous individuals were prevented from obtaining access to firearms, the 2nd Amendment as it stands doesn’t really have a place in modern America since in many cases instead of providing security it endangers people and leads to violence. If it means protecting a few lives of innocent people, then taking away the freedom through tightening laws on people who are able to obtain firearms is worth it.
I believe that the second amendment has no place in modern America. Instead of being used for self-defense which was the reason it was enacted, the second amendment is being used to carry out heinous acts of violence. I have previously stated in a blog comment regarding the second amendment and gun violence, that as the US continues to have lenient gun laws, gun violence will continue to increase in the country. The Buffalo, NY shooting also highlights the need for background checks in stricter gun control laws, since Peyton Gendren should have been flagged as high-risk and investigated due to his threats about shooting up a school. In my opinion, the first step to having stricter gun control laws would be the implementation of universal background checks so that those in possession of firearms are not a danger to themselves and others. The authorities are taking the right step in making the life sentence for Patyon Gendren harsh as it will serve as a reminder for anyone who decides to break gun laws and engage in such a deadly act of violence.
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