Shoppers Flee: Mass Shooting In Bend, Oregon!

Deadly shooting at a Safeway store in Bend, Oregon.

This is 523rd mass shooting in the United States.

American gun violence continues and we still see more deadly outcomes. 

Of course, Congress passed legislation that make background checks for firearms more stringent. However, the ban on semi automatic firearms like the AR-15 is still being held up in Congress due to Republican obstructionism. 

President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Kate Brown, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and the U.S. Representatives from Oregon were notified of the latest mass shooting in Bend, Oregon. The shooting happened at a Safeway grocery store.

An active shooter doesn't care about the politics, race, gender, sexuality, nationality, religion, your finances, your family, your plans that day, your successes, your failures, and most importantly, your life.

The shooter is motivated within seconds to take out as many people as he/she can.

What to do to protect your life.

1. Run - If you hear sounds like firecrackers, popping sounds or suspicious activities around a large gathering (i.e. malls, stores, clubs, public gatherings), if you can flee, run away from the shooter. Do not run in a straight path of the sight. Move around and zig-zag if possible to keep yourself out the line of fire. It's best to not film a shooter commiting the act. If you are willing to risk your life for a viral video, more power to you but its best to stay out of the line of fire by running away.

2. Hide - If you are involved in an active shooting, you must barricade yourself in a room and keep doors locked, lights off, phones on silent. Do not go into restrooms, lockers and kitchens. Those are most likely places where shooters often go. If you can barricade a room to prevent a shooter from getting in, it eliminate the opportunity for the shooter to get through. Make sure you keep your voice low when you're involved in mass shooting. Call 9-1-1 if you can.

3. Fight - If you are willing to risk your life or willing to film the incident, you have no choice but to fight. Make sure you grab something that is powerful enough to disarm a shooter. Do not confront a shooter in the midst of sight. Make yourself not visible if you're trying to fight. Do not think being a "good guy with a gun" is going to stop a bad guy. The cops don't see good guys trying to stop bad guys. They see active shooters and they will shoot anyone who is armed regardless of the matter. If you're ready to fight, be prepared to die. It's best to not be easily seen if you're trying to stop a shooter. If you're a conceal carry and attempt to disarm an active shooter, you are willing to sacrifice your life to save lives. You are willing to go hero, you could die a hero or an idiot.

Three people, including the suspected shooter, are dead following an attack Sunday night at a grocery store in Bend, Oregon, police said.

Officers were dispatched to the Safeway at the Forum Shopping Center shortly after 7 p.m. after receiving reports of shots fired, the Bend Police Department said in a statement.

Shooting rounds from an AR-15-style rifle, the gunman was believed to have begun the attack in the store's parking lot before moving inside, according to police. One person was shot inside the entrance, according to police. Medics took that victim to a hospital, but the person was declared deceased, police said.

“Police believe the shooter continued firing through the store, shooting and killing an additional person,” the department said.

Gun violence never took a break.

Dexter Chamberlin said he was checking out at the Safeway when he heard gunfire.

“We started running out the back emergency exit telling other people to do the same,” he said. “We ran to a nearby apartment complex and hid behind some building with about a dozen other people.”

It was not immediately clear how the suspected shooter, who was identified only as a male, died, but police said they did not open fire during their response.

Earlier, a spokesperson for St. Charles Bend medical center said the facility had received one patient from the attack who was dead on arrival. Another patient was said to be in good condition.

Authorities later announced that three people, including the suspected shooter, had died in a tweet at around 9:15 p.m. local time Sunday (12:15 a.m. ET Monday).

Speaking at a news conference Sunday night, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said police were working with a “very large crime scene” in the ongoing investigation into the attack.

He said police were doing everything they could to follow up on potential leads and were “aware of other information floating around on social media” about the suspected shooter. He also said police were aware of reports of other possible shootings in town, but had found no evidence of additional incidents.

“We know that this is a frightening thing for our community and something that we would never want to happen in our city,” he said.

Merkley offered his condolences to the families of the victims in a tweet late Sunday as he called on Americans to "come together" to bring an end to gun violence in the U.S.

"My heart breaks for the families of the victims and the many people whose routine Sunday evening shopping turned into a terrifying run for their lives in Bend," Merkley said.

"This doesn’t have to happen. It’s not normal in any other country," he said. "High-powered assault rifles with high-capacity magazines, combined with personal grievances and often a culture of hate, create a toxic stew that leaves good people, innocent people dead, maimed, and traumatized."

"We need to come together — Democrats and Republicans, urban and rural, Black and white and brown and Asian American and Native American, and including the many responsible gun owners — and put an end to this madness," Merkley said.

Every community in the United States will eventually have a legacy. A legacy of tragedy. Gun violence, monkeypox and COVID-19 will affect your town, your family and your life. So I don't want to hear that bullshit about how gun reform is taking away your rights to own firearms.

I don't want to hear that protesting against police killing people of color is hate on cops in general. I don't want to hear talk about the coronavirus being a myth.

It's not safe anymore.

When you hear folks say "gun rights," what they really mean is that its white privilege. This good guy with a gun nonsense has to end. The cops didn't do nothing when children were shot inside a school. A security guard was shot dead trying to protect shoppers. A cop accidentally shot his own. The good guy who tried to stop a bad guy is outgunned and a part of the rule #3. 

Remember #3 means: The "good guy with a gun" better be prepared to die if they want to stop a shooter.

I don't want to hear folks say masks and vaccine mandates impede their freedoms. It prevents a deadly outbreak from spreading. If you want to die from the coronavirus, that's on you. We lost over 1 million people from the coronavirus.

I don't want to hear the shit about guns saving lives. Cause a bullet does not have eyes and it's always likely gonna hit a target. These folks seem to not get it. These incidents are a tragic part of American history. Thoughts and prayers and your heart going out to the victims is not enough. It quite frankly is an insult. I am also tired of scapegoating Black on Black crime, Chicago, Baltimore and Democratic mayors for the nation's obsession to be numb to gun violence. You pretty much enable this nonsense by deflecting.

President Joe Biden is trying to curb gun violence. However, he has no support from Republicans. Most Democrats and America are for gun control measures. However the two Democrats in the Senate refuse to change the filibuster rules and its holding us back.

The National Rifle Association is always pushing against it. They will not relinquish from the narrative that guns are not saving lives. The Republicans aided by a fickle junk food media are openly encouraging anarchy and disruption in a desperate attempt for the Republicans to win back Congress and the White House. These agitators are calling for Biden to curb crime but will not help him. They want more guns on the street. It makes no sense.

So in closing, expect more.

The website Officer Down is a memorial to those who were killed in the line of duty. Those who don't get their names mentioned in the junk food media. Also the website the National Gun Violence Memorial also keeps record of the many individuals killed by gun violence. 

Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or 988, or text the Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741). Both services are free and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The deaf and hard of hearing can contact the Lifeline via TTY at 1-800-799-4889. All calls are confidential. Contact social media outlets directly if you are concerned about a friend’s social media updates or dial 911 in an emergency. Learn more on the Lifeline’s website or the Crisis Text Line’s website.

The call number to the U.S. Capitol is now going to be used. This is the official phone number, 202-224-3121. Let them know that "thoughts and prayers," "hearts going to" and "good guys with guns" are no longer acceptable and you want legislation to curb gun violence.

GUN VIOLENCE IS THE NUMBER ONE PROBLEM IN THE UNITED STATES.