(NewsNation) — A Monday shooting in Philadelphia where five people were killed and two were injured and a shooting in Fort Worth, Texas, where at least three people died and eight were hurt demonstrate how the Fourth of July is becoming one of America’s most violent holidays.
During an appearance on NewsNation Now, NewsNation correspondent Sloane Glass noted that according to the Gun Violence Archive, the holiday has become synonymous with gun violence
“In 2022, more than 200 people were killed and close to 570 were wounded” during the July Fourth holiday, Glass said.
Over the past weekend, shootings from coast to coast took countless lives. In Baltimore, 30 people were shot at a single block party, with victims including more than a dozen minors.
“Over the past decade, only 10 other shootings in the United States have resulted in so many gun violence victims,” Glass said.
Northeastern University criminologist James Allen Fox explained some of the factors that may be driving the violence.
“Essentially the problem is that … on July Fourth weekend, you have lots of gatherings. People are out of work or school that day, these gatherings often involve inebriation and perhaps hot weather, which impacts our responses. And when there’s concealed weapons in the mix, deadly things can happen,” he said.
