Gun Control Advocates Renew Calls to Limit Handgun Access after Fatal Shootings of TV Journalists
Gun control advocates are renewing calls to limit access to firearms following the fatal shootings of two television journalists by a former colleague in a small Virginia town.
Allison Parker, 24, and Adam Ward, 27, were killed last week in Smith Mountain Lake, about 35 miles outside of Roanoke.
Bryce Williams, his on-air name, killed Parker, a WDBJ reporter, and Ward, a cameraman, after he had disputes with WDBJ. Williams appeared to be in a confused state before he killed the pair on live television, according to news reports.
Some gun control advocates said Williams shouldn’t have had access to a gun.
“The tragic killings of [Parker and Ward] underscore the importance of President Barack Obama’s efforts to limit access of hand guns,” said Brenda Eatman Aghahowa, an associate professor of English at Chicago State University and a former journalist.
“Through lax gun laws, as a society, we provide deranged and vengeful individuals easy access to these weapons,” she added. “As long as we do so, we continue to participate in our own victimization, opening ourselves up to more and more deadly attacks like these.”
The station was broadcasting Parker interviewing Vicki Gardner, a local Chamber of Commerce official, at a shopping center when, just off camera, shots were fired. Parker was heard screaming.
The recording also showed a glimpse of gunman Williams, whose real name is Vester Lee Flanagan.
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