Posted on Feb 8, 2022
A judge ordered the U.S. to pay $230 million to victims of a Texas church massacre
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https://www.npr.org/2022/02/07/ [login to see] /a-judge-ordered-the-u-s-to-pay-230-million-to-victims-of-a-texas-church-massacre
The U.S. government must pay victims and families of victims of a 2017 Texas church massacre more than $230 million, a federal judge ruled on Monday.
The man who killed 26 people and wounded 22 others at the church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, should have been barred from legally owning firearms because of an earlier domestic violence conviction. But the U.S. Air Force failed to enter his name into the correct database.
Judge Xavier Rodriguez of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas awarded varying amounts in damages to some 80 people, many of whom suffered permanent debilitating injuries or lost loved ones.
Some of the victims were young children: a 6-year-old girl was shot three times; a 5 year old was shot four times.
The U.S. government must pay victims and families of victims of a 2017 Texas church massacre more than $230 million, a federal judge ruled on Monday.
The man who killed 26 people and wounded 22 others at the church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, should have been barred from legally owning firearms because of an earlier domestic violence conviction. But the U.S. Air Force failed to enter his name into the correct database.
Judge Xavier Rodriguez of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas awarded varying amounts in damages to some 80 people, many of whom suffered permanent debilitating injuries or lost loved ones.
Some of the victims were young children: a 6-year-old girl was shot three times; a 5 year old was shot four times.
A judge ordered the U.S. to pay $230 million to victims of a Texas church massacre
Posted from npr.org
Firearms and Guns
Domestic Violence
Court Martial
Posted >1 y ago
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The government was guilty in not following their own laws. But I would ask who was responsible for not following those laws?
Then the "what if" question; would that person have been able to get the weapon anyway? Probably.
Then the "what if" question; would that person have been able to get the weapon anyway? Probably.
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It wasn't just an oversight or clerical error that contributed to this tragedy. Databases and data-entry are critical to good governance and law enforcement. They are cogs in the wheel that can and do have life-altering consequences downstream. A determined perpetrator is difficult to stop, but that's not an excuse for a failed or broken cog in the mechanism designed prevent this madness. Pay Up! It's a pittance and can never equate to the priceless value of life, limb and innocence of the victims in particular and society in general.
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