UVALDE, June 1 (Xinhua) -- An 18-year-old man opened fire at an elementary school in Uvalde city in the U.S. state of Texas on May 24, 2022, leaving 21 people dead, including 19 children.
The massacre "has unleashed an outpouring of grief and sadness across the nation," National Public Radio (NPR) reported on May 28.
It "was yet another grim reminder that in the U.S., where civilians own nearly 400 million firearms, children are more likely to die from gun violence than in any other high-income country," NPR said.
Guns became the leading cause of death for American children for the first time in 2020, said an editorial released by The Los Angeles Times on May 30, 2022.
There have been 27 school shootings so far this year that resulted in 27 deaths and 56 injuries, and since 2018, there have been 119 school shootings, the article said, citing Education Week, which tracks school shootings.
"Make no mistake, this is a war -- a war on people in this country and on our sense of safety. That's what terrorism does; it makes people afraid to go about their daily lives," said the editorial.
Uvalde became the deadliest school shooting since the massacre of 26 people, including 20 children aged 6-7 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012, the New York Times said on May 28.
School shootings have increased dramatically in America in the past decade, and each year the number of those killed by gunfire increases.
People attend a vigil to mourn for victims of a school mass shooting at Town Square in Uvalde, Texas, the United States, May 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)
A candle is lit during a vigil to mourn for victims of a school mass shooting at Town Square in Uvalde, Texas, the United States, May 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)
Candles are lit during a vigil to mourn for victims of a school mass shooting at Town Square in Uvalde, Texas, the United States, May 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)
People attend a vigil to mourn for victims of a school mass shooting at Town Square in Uvalde, Texas, the United States, May 29, 2022. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)
People mourn for victims of a school mass shooting at Town Square in Uvalde, Texas, the United States, May 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)
People mourn for victims of a school mass shooting at Town Square in Uvalde, Texas, the United States, May 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)
Police officers stand guard at Robb Elementary School in the town of Uvalde, Texas, the United States, May 27, 2022. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)
Photo taken on Oct. 8, 2021 shows the vases of flowers installed to memorize gun violence victims at the Battery Park in New York, the United States. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)
College student Jennifer Estrada takes part in a rally for gun control and anti-racism, in El Paso of Texas, the United States, on Aug. 7, 2019. A gunman opened fire at a shopping center in El Paso, killing 22 people and injuring more than two dozen. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)
Students from Francis Polytechnic High School protest against gun violence in Los Angeles, the United States, on March 14, 2018. Students participated in a nationwide demonstration against gun violence "National School Walkout" in the United States, one month after a high school shooting in Florida in which 17 people were killed. (Xinhua/Zhao Hanrong)
Shoes representing the children killed in school shootings since Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012 are seen on the lawn in front of the Capitol in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)■