Just two days before Thanksgiving, the second mass shooting this week happens. On Tuesday night in Chesapeake, Virginia, a gunman opens fire at Walmart. At least 6 people were fatally shot, and at least 5 are in local hospitals with unknown conditions. The shooter, who has been identified as an employee of Walmart, is dead. Investigators say the gunman opened fire on himself. While no motive has been confirmed, investigators believe the gunman opened fire in the breakroom, killing his coworkers before killing himself.
President Biden has released a statement saying, “Jill and I grieve for those families, for the Chesapeake community, and for the Commonwealth of Virginia, which just suffered a terrible shooting at the University of Virginia this month. We also mourn for all those across America who have lost loved ones to these tragic shootings that we must come together as a nation to stand against.” President Biden also promised that the federal government is ready to provide assistance.
The federal government will assist, and it costs billions to do. According to the nonprofit Everytown, gun violence in America kills 40,000 and costs the nation $557 billion annually. Here’s a breakdown of how gun violence is costing so much. The total of $557 billion includes immediate costs that start at the shooting scene. Immediate costs include police investigation and medical treatment. Subsequent costs include treatment, long-term physical and mental health care, earnings lost to disability or death, and criminal justice costs.
Taxpayers, survivors, families, and employers will pay an average of $7.79 million daily in health care costs related to gun violence, and $30.16 million is spent on police and criminal justice costs. For employers, an estimated $ 147.32 million is lost per day related to work missed due to injury or death. Employers also lose $1.47 million daily in productivity and revenue.
While gun reform continues to be debated in Congress, an agreement on what will be done has yet to be made.
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