(NewsNation) — Police say violence on some American streets is out of control. More than a dozen shootings over the weekend have left at least 17 people dead.
In Chattanooga, Tennessee, three people were killed and 14 injured after authorities say multiple shooters opened fire at a nightclub Saturday night.
In Chesterfield, Virginia, a shooting at a graduation party left one person dead and seven injured. In Omaha, Nebraska, one person is dead and three hurt over the weekend, and in Philadelphia, three people were killed and 11 wounded when multiple shooters fired into a crowd.
The violence comes on the heels of a deadly hospital shooting in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last week and after the elementary school massacre in Uvalde, Texas and the grocery store killings in Buffalo, New York.
In response to the shooting at Robb Elementary that left 21 dead, Uvalde County officials are opening the newly created Uvalde Together Resiliency Center. The center will offer mental health resources and other assistance from state agencies and local organizations for those impacted by the tragic shooting.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has also directed the Texas School Safety Center to start conducting school safety reviews on all Texas schools and ordered the Texas Education Agency to work on strategies to heighten safety standards within schools.
As communities keep searching for answers, the CEO of a Taser company says he’s tired of waiting on others to come up with a solution.
“I’m done waiting on politicians to solve this problem, so we’re going to solve it,” Axon CEO Rick Smith said.
The Taser company proposed building drones with stun guns on them to combat shooters at places like schools and concerts.
“To me, it’s just bizarre that the only way we stop a person with a gun is by sending in a person with another gun,” Smith added.
In light of the idea, the majority of Axon’s ethics board resigned. Now, the company has decided to halt any more development.
Former FBI agent Tracy Walder thinks the drones aren’t the solution.
“I think the problem with using them in schools is that you don’t know if students can be killed by these drones. Also, you don’t exactly know the layout of those schools. Also … can this drone be shot at and disabled with an intruder who has a gun?” Walder said.
America’s plight with gun violence appears to be getting worse. Since the beginning of the year, the Gun Violence Archive reports that there have been more than 240 mass shootings nationwide. That means more mass shooting have happened in 2022 than the number of days so far this year.
Days ago, President Joe Biden spoke about gun violence in a primetime address.
“For God’s sake, how much more carnage are we willing to accept? How many more innocent American lives must be taken before we say enough? Enough,” Biden said.
This week, U.S. lawmakers are slated to hear from survivors of the Buffalo and Uvalde shootings. Others impacted by recent mass shootings are also set to testify before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.