ThinkProgress: An argument between a 21-year-old Indiana man and his ex-girlfriend Monday night ended with four people shot and two of them dead."Nearly half of all homicides are preceded by an argument or fight, and certain factors like alcohol can compound the chances of deadly violence,” ThinkProgress reports. “Simply having a gun in one’s home raises the risk someone will be shot, whether by suicide, accident, or domestic violence. One study found that the presence of a gun alone makes it three times more likely that a woman could become a homicide victim.”
The escalating fight led the woman’s 12-year-old brother to run to his neighbors for help. When they arrived, Andrew Parish drew his handgun and fired, killing his ex’s roommate and her mother. Before he killed himself, Parish called his brother and described how he hadn’t intended to shoot but things “got out of hand”.
Police discovered him with a handgun and an AK-47 assault rifle, reported the Indianapolis Star. “We’re pretty certain from what we’re seeing at the grain bin that this young man was armed with a lot of ammunition,” Sheriff Doug Cox said. “From what we can see through the windows of the vehicle … I think he was prepared to do more than harm himself.”
So much for the “more guns make everyone safer” argument. If the presence of a handgun makes a women three times more likely to be shot, then guns are as good at keeping people safe from violence as cigarettes are at preventing cancer or drunk drivers are at avoiding accidents. If this guy didn’t have a gun, this would’ve escalated to a fist fight and someone might’ve gotten a broken nose. Instead, four people are dead because some prick couldn’t control his temper and “things got out of hand.”
[photo by RabidSquirrel]
