国际英语资讯:Yearender: Americans facing mass shooting milestone in 2019 with no progress in gun control_时事

国际英语资讯:Yearender: Americans facing mass shooting milestone in 2019 with no progress in gun control

Residents of the states across the West seem to be more comfortable with a so-called "gun culture."

In the southern state of Texas, generally considered a gun-friendly state, its citizens look suspiciously on gun control laws or any attempt perceived as a move to impinge upon the constitutional right to bear arms.

In the state's Montgomery County, officials have declared the county a "gun sanctuary" county.

County commissioners voted 5-0 during their Nov. 19 session in favor of a resolution that will "maintain citizens' ability to keep and bear arms without the threat of adverse legal ramifications."

With the unanimous passage of the resolution, Montgomery County, with a population of 570,000 people, became the most populous county in Texas to become a gun sanctuary, according to county officials.

Across the country, there are more than 200 counties and 11 cities that have declared themselves as gun sanctuaries, officials said.

HATE CRIME

The deadliest shooting so far in 2019 was in the U.S.-Mexico border town of El Paso, where 22 people were killed and 24 others wounded in a Walmart shooting rampage in early August. The case was being prosecuted as a hate crime.

The shooter posted an anti-immigrant diatribe on an anonymous extremist message board, citing the Christchurch, New Zealand, mosque shooter who left 51 dead in March as an inspiration.

In April, a man who opened fire at a San Diego synagogue also posted a note online that was almost identical to one written by the Christchurch mass murderer.