Three people were killed and two others sustained injuries in a shooting that erupted amid a dispute between neighbours on Saturday night in Hawaii, the United States. According to Honolulu police, the shooter, a 58-year-old man, was also shot by a resident, who was later arrested on a second-degree murder charge. As per witnesses, the shooter used a front-end loader to ram cars into a home where a family gathering was taking place before opening fire in the carport area, fatally shooting three women.
The women who were killed were 34, 36 and 29, Honolulu police detective Lt. Deena Thoemmes said. A 31-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman were taken to the hospital in critical condition, she said. The suspect, who was not identified, had four 55-gallon drums containing an unknown fuel in the front-end loader, Thoemmes said. Witnesses reported that he fired rounds into them but police have not confirmed that yet, she said.
The shootings are the latest of several shootings in recent weeks in the area that have led to police to pledge to work to fight gun violence, Police Chief Joe Logan said at the news conference. But he said Saturday's shootings were not related to the earlier ones. He suggested it would be difficult for police to prevent such a targeted act stemming from a dispute unless someone reached out earlier.
Gun laws in the US
Although owning a gun is a constitutional right, there are also some restraints to carrying and using it. The sale and purchase of guns are also restricted to a few categories of people. According to The Gun Control Act of 1968, an individual below 18 years of age, convicted criminals, mentally disabled and dishonourably discharged personnel from military and other forces is prohibited from owning a gun.
The law also provisions a deep background check of all unlicensed individuals before they purchase a firearm from a federally authorized dealer. Meanwhile, the National Firearms Act of 1934 regulates the weapons including rifles, machine guns, mufflers, shotguns and silencers. One of the concerns regarding the permission to own guns is related to assault and heavy weaponry. While there were federal laws prohibiting the purchase of large capacity magazines and assault rifles, weapons between 1994 and 2004, the US Congress did not extend them and subsequently expired.
(With AP inputs)
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