A crazed gunman shot 11 people at a movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana, killing two. This is another gun tragedy that the Republican NRA nuts will use to suggest that Americans need more guns; just more fodder for the GOP fear machine. Shootings like this are the result of the NRA getting its way.
John Russel Houser, a 58-year-old white man, sat in the Grand Theater 16 in Lafayette “just like everyone else” before opening fire on movie patrons during a screening of the film Trainwreck. Authorities say that this was a “lone wolf” incident. The majority of American mass shootings involve one gunman, usually motivated by extreme right-wing ideologies. However, the Lafayette shooter’s motivation has not yet been confirmed.
Houser, who’s been described as a “drifter,” fired at least 13 shots that hit 11 people before turning the gun on himself. He’s been pronounced dead. Nobody in Lafayette knew Houser, so it’s difficult to determine whether he was mentally ill or if he was some tin-foil hat, right-wing nutjob. One thing is certain, this shooting is likely to provide the GOP candidates with another insane talking point.
As with the Aurora and Sandy Hook shootings, Republicans and the NRA will likely beat this tragedy to death with pro-gun messages. They will throw their constituency into a gun-loving frenzy and preach the Second Amendment like it’s the Holy Gospel.
