El Paso Shooting Victims: Here Are Some of Their Stories

This diversity written about in the article is what I find so enjoyable when I visit my son and his family in LA. It sure is not VERMONT. Reading this made me very sad as I think of all the lives of those impacted by this senseless tragedy. I feel like this will only continue, AND THAT WE are helpless in trying to deal with this. I feel strongly that we must vote for candidates at all levels of government that support CLIMATE CHANGE, GUN CONTROL and WOMEN'S RIGHTS.

I wondered, as I read this, who are going to raise the children of Jordan and Andre Anchondo? Yes, they will probably be taken in by family members,who will no doubt love them, but taking in the two orphans might be financially difficult. What about their parents’ funerals, the funerals of the other victims and the millions of dollars of hospital and medical bills the survivors face, particularly if they’re uninsured? After the politicians often their usual ridiculous “thought and prayers” the families and victims are on their own or are forced to raise funds on gofundme. Perhaps all the bills, both present and future, should be sent to Members of Congress who refuse to do anything about the insanity of gun violence. Let them pay! Perhaps better yet do something to help stop the violence, besides setting up a victims compensation fund, and make the NRA, gun and bullet manufacturers foot most of the bill. One more thing, why not ban the bullets for the assault weapons. The 2nd amendment makes no mention of the right to have bullets since it was tied to the right of a militia. Certainly the founding father should never would have wanted military style assault weapons in the hand side of civilians .When they wrote the Constitution the only guns were single shot muskets.

Our kids are learning gun drills in our schools, because they might be killed. We fear people hunting in public stores because we might be killed. We are afraid when we pass the gates of sports events, or go to dance, or go to sing, or go to buy flowers, or go to listen to a band, or go to get a birthday gift for a family member, or go to buy groceries or, or, or. This is America? No this is a land of guns, guns, guns that are not regulated because of greed.

These poor victims and grieving families. When the hand wringing and the platitudes from politicians and pundits stop these families will need to get back to living with loss. Hopefully the community will offer emotional and financial support . They all will need more than thoughts and prayers .

As American as apple pie, our national, cultural gun abuse sickness suffered by all Americans, an aberration re our peer countries. The scary fact is that these mass shootings only account for app. a few hundred gun deaths in our country each yr. There are app. 14,000 other gun deaths a yr in this country, app. 35,000 if you include suicides and 100k+ if you include serious injury.

And we will not do anything different. Hate is winning.

Mr. Benavides was an Army veteran and a bus driver for Sun Metro, El Paso’s public transit system. She said he had lived in El Paso his whole life and had been married to Patricia for over 30 years. Mr. Benavides was a US Citizen who paid taxes and loved his family. He happens to be Latino. Trump's radical supporters don't separate the two. Racism and Nationalism go hand-in-hand.

I was so hoping Andre Anchondo would be found alive. Now their kids are orphans. Haven't we had enough?? If not, when?

Mine is the first comment a day later on August 5? Perhaps it's all been said already, to absolutely no effect.

The right to bear arms may be needed by police authorities, and by the military. The right to bear arms may be used by families for their protection. However, it was also used by those who murdered others to satisfy their own twisted view of life. Multiple mental disorders may be at the forefront of these twisted minds. But the right to bear arms is also used by criminals, the mafia, the Mexican Mafia, drug cartels, drug traffickers, street gangs, the "hell angel's" and other motorcycle gangs, rapists, aryan nation racist groups, extremist Islamic Isis, Muslim terrorist groups, skinhead racist groups, KKK, neo nazi groups, and other criminal groups. These criminals will always have weapons legally or illegally. In the final analysis Constitutional laws don't prevent or make people do things. People will make their own choices whether that choice is constitutional or unconstitutional, whether that choice is decent or indecent, whether that choice is moral or immoral, or whether that choice is right or wrong. The 6th Commandment says, “Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20.13.

“In many ways, it was a Walmart like all the others: a place to buy groceries, to pick up new school supplies and sometimes even to splurge on cosmetics.” And guns. Don’t forget guns. This is is simply heartbreaking (again), but when you’re selling firearms alongside the aforementioned groceries, that might be a sign something’s gone wrong.

It will never stop. As long as the mentality of “guns don’t kill people, people kill people” and “protect my second amendment rights” exist, no government policy and those politicians beholden to Big Money, will pass meaningful legislation.

as a previous NYT article demonstrated guns are the problem in our country. it is not mental illness, all countries have that issue it is not video games it is not immigration it is not social isolation... all countires grapple with these problems. the difference in the usa is that we have access to so many guns. why can't this be our christchurch moment? where is the leadership? or do we let this fade from news and hold our breath for the next massacre?

If dead children in classrooms didn't change thinking, I don't know how another massacre will. God bless all of these victims and their loved ones. We will never have common sense gun laws as long as politicians are beholden to the NRA. This is far greater than politics or party. Innocent lives are being lost. The biggest weapon we have against these mass killings is at the ballot box!

I think the gunman since he's still alive should be forced to read these stories. I don't think he realized these were real people.

These victims are not statistics. They were real, living, breathing human beings, like you and me. Their lives were stolen from them, from their children, grandchildren, friends, neighbors, by a gun wielded by a hate-filled monster inflamed by racial prejudice. It is way past time to stop the madness and terror that had engulfed our nation. Help will come too late for the innocents who have been gunned down. But it is not too late for Congress to act to ban these weapons of mass destruction, to pass laws requiring stringent background checks and licensing regulations. Please, call or write your Senators. Demand that they take action now.

When Sandy Hook wasn’t the catalyst, why would this change anything? Not even the horrific image of a mother falling dead on her baby - while SHOPPING for God’s sake - will move the dial. Not one iota.

To those opposed to gun regulations: Why is your hobby more important than the lives of your fellow citizens?

The first step to resolving the horror of mass murders is controlling the number of guns in America. Only Congress can do this but it is paralyzed by the constant need for campaign money mostly from corporations. But corporations have no morals nor ethics. Corporations are not people despite the Supreme Court’s ruling on this matter. As more and more people die Congress refuses to act on campaign finance reform. This is America’s shame.

Media tries to bring this to spotlight for a week maximum. If someone in the media could keep re-iterating it until major measures has been taken, so that laymen and politicians do not forget about these shootings maybe gun control would get the momentum it needs to stop. This has to stop. I have 2 kids and a husband, should I be worried everyday when they go out or until I get back home? Is then USA a safe country? I am sure some will portray this is as "love or leave USA". But this has nothing to do with that!. It is about safety of all Americans, immigrant or non-immigrant, white or color, poor or rich!.