Wave of Mass Shootings Rocks California

Written By: Thomas d’Esperies

A series of six mass shootings in 11 days rocked the Golden State of California, leaving 24 dead and dozens more wounded. 

A total of six mass shootings occurred in an 11 day period in California, leaving 23 dead and another 24 wounded. The shooting comes in the midst of a wave of gun violence across the nation. Already, over 4,000 people have lost their lives to gun violence in 2023 according to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA). 

Out of the 57 mass shootings that have already occurred this year, nine were in California. The last six come in an 11 day period between January 21st and February 1st, the deadliest of which, Monterey Park, claimed almost half of the death toll. The latest shooting, occurring on February 1st in Los Angeles, left no deaths, a sign of hope in a period of darkness. Other shootings came just a day apart while some occurred just hours apart from one another. 

The six shootings occurred in the same general area with three in LA County, one in San Diego, Monterey Park, and Half Moon Bay. Both the Half Moon Bay and Oakland shootings occurred on January 23rd, claiming eight victims between the two. Monterey Park claimed 11 on the 21st and San Diego claimed one on the 27th. The next day, Beverly Hills claimed three more and the shooting in the City of Los Angeles injured five, killing one. 

California’s governor, Democrat Gavin Newsom was reportedly furious after only the third shooting saying he “can’t keep doing them,” referring to visits to victims and the scenes. Governor Newsom summed up what many Americans are tired of hearing: “‘Only in America,’ number one in gun ownership, number one in gun deaths.” President Biden also offered his condolences to the state saying that “They’ve been a rough, rough couple of days.” A Democratic senator from California, Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation for an assault weapons ban, urging his fellow members of Congress to pass it. And remember, all this occurred after only the third shooting, leaving three to follow. 

The real important thing however, is not the words of politicians or the gun violence statistics, but the victims and their families. Included below is a list of all 23 victims of the seven mass shootings. 

The Staff of the Port Light wishes to convey their condolences to the friends and families of the victims as well as to the state of California. We urge anyone in government to take action against gun violence so this can never happen again.