Philadelphia mayor suggests U.S. should adopt Canada’s gun laws after July 4 shooting
Posted July 4, 2022 11:27 pm.
Last Updated July 5, 2022 3:22 pm.
The mayor of Philadelphia said he felt safer in Canada after two police officers were shot at a fireworks display in his city during July 4 celebrations on Monday evening.
Mayor Jim Kenney told the media he didn’t need to worry during a visit to Canada a few weeks ago, where he never thought about a gun.
“The only people I knew that had guns in Canada were police officers,” he said. “[The U.S.] is a gun country, it’s crazy. We’re the most armed country in world history and we’re one of the least safest.”
“I’m waiting for something bad to happen all the time,” said Kenny, adding he is constantly concerned about shootings whenever big events come to his city. “I’ll be happy when I’m not mayor and I can enjoy some stuff.”
“We have the second amendment and we have the Supreme Court of the United States telling people they can carry a gun wherever they want.”
One of the officers was grazed in the head and the other was shot in the shoulder, according to multiple reports. Both are currently in stable condition.
People hurry off the Parkway after two police officers were struck by bullets during the July 4th fireworks show on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia on July 4, 2022. (Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
It’s not clear what sparked the shooting, which occurred around 9:45 p.m. Monday in front of the Philadelphia Art Museum, or if either officer was the intended target.
The City of Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management reported a security incident on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Monday and advised people to avoid the area. Several images on social media showed people fleeing the scene.
Shortly after, Philadelphia Police advised people looking to reunite with loved ones to meet at the Free Library, and reiterated the message for people to avoid the area.
No arrests have been made in connection with Monday’s shooting.
Six dead, suspect arrested in Chicago July 4 shooting
At least six people were killed and 30 more were wounded after a shooting at a July 4 parade in suburban Chicago.
Police arrested a 22-year-old suspect on Monday evening following an hourslong manhunt. Officials say the gun used in the shooting was obtained legally.
President Joe Biden on Monday said he and first lady Jill Biden were “shocked by the senseless gun violence that has yet again brought grief to an American community on this Independence Day.”
Biden signed the widest-ranging gun violence bill passed by Congress in decades, a compromise that showed at once both progress on a long-intractable issue and the deep-seated partisan divide that persists.
There have been more than 300 mass shooting in the U.S. in 2022.
With files from The Associated Press
