As customers in the store talk about the horrors, people ask themselves this: Why so often here?

There have been six mass shootings within 40 miles of Monday’s Colorado massacre.

James Bentz was standing at the meat counter at King Soopers when he heard the first shots. Before he knew it, he was leading a race to the nearest exit. Bentz was interviewed by local newspaper The Denver Post after the drama.

– It seemed as if we had all imagined that once in our life we ​​would end up in such a situation, he said.

He came out down a loading ramp. There, people helped each other.

Ti drept

On Monday, ten people died at the Boulder grocery store. The first messages reached the police around 3 pm The first police officer on the scene, Eric Talley, was among the dead. A suspect is in police custody. A possible reason is currently unknown.

The tragedy follows closely after another mass shooting. A 21-year-old man is charged with shooting and killing eight people in three different massage parlors in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 16.

A series of shootings

Several eyewitnesses from the store recounted on Monday about the panic when the perpetrator began shooting. Bentz’s statement of expecting something like this strikes a chord.

The area around Denver and Boulder is severely affected. Six times in the past decades there have been mass shootings in the area. In all cases, they have taken advantage of it, despite obstacles we can hardly imagine. ”

Two of the cases are among the best known and infamous such incidents in the United States.

• In 1999, two students wreaked havoc at Columbine High School. 12 students and a teacher died. 24 were injured. Columbine is approx. Fifty miles from Monday’s crime scene.
• In 2012, a gunman appeared at a Batman movie premiere. He killed 12 and wounded 70 at the Aurora theater. It is also approx. Fifty miles from Monday’s crime scene.

– One country, one world, of violence.

Now people wonder why this happens over and over in their area. Among those who have spoken to the local newspaper is Frank DeAngelis. He was director of Columbine in 1999.

– What we see now is a matter of society. It happens in schools, in Colorado movie theaters, in churches across the country, and in airports. We are a country, a world, of violence, he says.

The director fears that people have fallen asleep from all the tragedies. He is afraid that they will only ask, “How many were there this time?”

– Enough is enough

After most mass shootings, there are also discussions about America’s gun laws. Congressman Joe Neguse is taking care of this now. Both he and his wife are from Boulder.

– There are many things we do not know yet. But one thing is clear: our country has suffered tragic shooting events for too long, it says in a statement. Neguse is a Democrat.

He says that two decades ago, when he was a student, he wept for the victims at Columbine. Two years ago he was afraid. Then the niece was trapped in kindergarten during a nearby shooting.

– Enough is enough. Americans should feel safe in the grocery store. They should feel safe at school, at the movies, and in their immediate surroundings, says Neguse.

He thinks Congress is wavering and wavering.

– If we really want to save lives, we must have the will to act and adopt meaningful weapons reform. The time for passivity is over, says Neguse.

Ban set aside

The city of Boulder banned so-called assault weapons two years ago. These are semi-automatic rifles that often look like military weapons. Less than two weeks ago, a court overturned the ban.

It is not yet clear what type of weapon the perpetrator used on Monday.

The Colorado State Shooting Association is a party to the local assault lawsuit. The association is very upset that the massacre is used politically.

In a statement, they called the attack on gun rights an “emotional sensation.”

– There comes a time for debate on gun laws. Now is the time to discuss the reasons. Now is the time to talk about how this could have been avoided. But it is not today. Now is the time for sadness and healing, it is said.

The person who wrote the statement says he himself survived a school shooting. The author believes that the stricter gun laws are the wrong medicine.