On September 7th, a mass shooting took place near a highway in London, Kentucky. Since then there has been a manhunt set out for an armed and dangerous suspect that seriously injured five people but struck about twelve vehicles. The suspect, who goes by the name of Joseph A. Couch is 32 years old and was last seen in a remote woods location near Interstate 75. 

The suspect is believed to have used an AR-15 gun which is an assault grade weapon. The weapon was found near his vehicle, a silver Toyota SUV, and it has been revealed that it was legally purchased at a local gun store Saturday morning before the tragedy occurred. Witnesses and footage claims that Joseph was shooting down at cars that passed by as he shot from three different perches, one being a ledge. 

Furthermore, the search for the suspect continues as of September 11th. The area of the shooting is claimed to be a very large area and can be compared to a “jungle” as stated by Kentucky State Police Master Trooper, Scottie Pennington. According to NBC News the local sheriff’s office stated, “The search for the suspect was turned over to Kentucky State Police early Sunday evening because the relatively small sheriff’s office had “exhausted” its numbers, Root said.” Although they have not found him yet, law enforcement assumes that Joseph has not left the area based on information that cannot be revealed to the public.

Going forward in hopes that they do capture the suspect, Joseph A. Couch, that brought terror upon many innocent travelers, controlling the use and typical weaponry that can be purchased is necessary to prevent situations such as these from occurring. Kentucky specifically lacks in aspects of gun control based laws, such as not requiring background checks and other safety precautions. Kentucky allows the ability to purchase assault firearms and also the capability to nullify federal firearm laws by making it illegal for any employee of the state to assist with the enforcement of these laws. 

As gun control and gun violence in general is a widespread problem especially in the United States, making a change within our country is a current solution to this issue. Continuing to forget and ignore these tragic occurrences is doing us no good but instead causing more grief to our everyday lives. Speaking up and making a real difference upon gun violence is necessary for the future.