What’s New
A sports coach has called for tighter gun control across the U.S. after a mass shooting at his former school.
Mark Martinez told Newsweek that no other developed country experiences school shootings at the same level as the U.S.
“This is a USA problem. What other developed nation deals with regular school shootings? Let’s do what those other nations figured out years ago,” he said.
A 15-year-old girl shot dead a student and a teacher at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday and she injured six others in the attack. Two have life threatening injuries.
A police officer stands guard in front of Abundant Life Christian School on December 16, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. The school’s former sport coach has paid tribute to the students while calling for tighter gun control across the U.S.
Getty Images/Scott Olson
The suspect, 15-year-old student Natalie Rupnow, later shot herself dead.
Martinez said that Abundant Life school was a great place to work and the students had a good attitude.
He said they were “great kids to coach.”
“[It’s] a very small school but the athletes gave great effort and worked hard,” he said.
Martinez coached high school football, basketball and track at the school from 2005 to 2017.
In a separate Facebook message after the shooting, he wrote: “This is shocking, heartbreaking and devastating. We need prayers for sure for the Challenger community. But we need more than thoughts and prayers: we need actions and policies, we need discussions and hard decisions, we need love and togetherness, we need to DO SOMETHING people. Are we all not disgusted and disappointed and fed up with this yet?”
Why It Matters
The Violence Prevention Project’s research into “K-12 school homicide incidents” reveals there have been 349 incidents between 2000 and 2023, with 469 victims killed and 729 victims killed or injured.
The campaign group, Everytown For Gun Safety, ranks Wisconsin number 21 out of 50 states on gun control, and places it in the category of “missing key laws.” The strength of its gun laws is given a “weak” score of 28, while its gun violence rate is a “near average” of 14 gun deaths for every 100,000 people.
What To Know
The shooting has devastated the school’s students and parents. Many asked for prayers on social media on Monday.
Madison police are investigating whether Rupnow wrote a manifesto before beginning her shooting spree.
“We have been made aware of a manifesto, if you want to call it that, or some type of letter that’s been posted by someone who is alleged to be her friend. We haven’t been able to locate that person yet, but that’s something we’re going to work on today,” Madison police chief Shon Barnes told CNN on Tuesday.
“We’ll also be looking through her effects—if she had a computer or cell phone—to see if there are any transmissions between her and someone else.”
What People Are Saying
President Joe Biden called on Congress to act on gun control. “We need Congress to act. Now… It is unacceptable that we are unable to protect our children from this scourge of gun violence. We cannot continue to accept it as normal. Students across our country should be learning how to read and write—not having to learn how to duck and cover,” he said in a statement.
Newsweek sought email comment from the Republican National Committee and the National Rifle Association on Tuesday.
What Happens Next
Madison police are expected to issue an update on Tuesday on whether the manifesto is Rupnow’s.
They will continue to investigate whether potential charges could be brought against others for allowing her easy access to a gun.
With a Republican majority in the Senate, it is unlikely that any major federal gun control legislation will be passed in the near future.