Steve Scalise shot in Virginia

On 14 June 2017, US House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was shot in the hip and multiple Congressional aides were hit by a gunman with a rifle, who opened fire at a GOP baseball practice in Virginia. The gunman, who was apprehended and shot by the US Capital Police, has been declared dead.

Steve Scalise

Stephen Joseph Scalise was the current United States House of Representatives Majority Whip and representative for Louisiana's 1st congressional district, serving since 2008. He is a member of the Republican Partyand was the chairman of the conservative House Republican Study Committee. Prior to his congressional tenure, Scalise served for four months in the Louisiana State Senate and twelve years in the Louisiana House of Representatives. On June 19, 2014, Scalise was elected by his Republican colleagues to serve as Majority Whip of the United States House of Representatives. He assumed office in August. He is the first Louisianian in the Majority Whip's position since Democrat Hale Boggs of Louisiana's 2nd congressional district held the position from 1962 to 1971. In 2017, Scalise became the dean of the Louisiana Congressional delegation upon the retirement of former senator David Vitter.

Past Incident

Since former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords was shot in January 2011, Scalise is the first member of Congress to be shot. Giffords was shot in the head by Jared Lee Loughner at a "Congress On Your Corner" event at a Tucson grocery store. While Giffords, who authorities said was the main target of the shooting, survived the attack, six others were killed and an additional 12 were injured. Loughner pleaded guilty in 2012 and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Analysis

Rand Paul, the Republican senator for Kentucky, was practising in a batting cage just outside the fence to the baseball field, when the shooting started.He heard a succession of 5 to 10 shots and then realised the Republican majority whip senator Steve Scalise had been hit in the baseball field and was “trying to drag himself through the dirt towards the dugout”.

The Republicans have been having regular morning practice at the field for about two months in advance of today’s charity congressional baseball game at Nationals Park. Armed police were there as Scalise, a member of the leadership was in the team.

The Capitol Hill police saved the lives of almost everybody there. Had they not been there it would have been a massacre because there’s no escape.

Assessment

For long, politicians and civilians in United States have engaged in debates about the possibility of imposing gun control laws in the country. However, the powerful arms lobby in the country has successfully fought back all attempts citing the Second Amendment that protects the right of the people to “keep and bear arms.”