Residents talk about shopping center safety after recent shootings
JACKSON, Tenn. — With the recent mass shootings over the weekend, public safety has been a main concern, especially for those in shopping centers.
“You just come out here thinking you going shopping and might not never come back home,” said Jerald Bowen from Alamo.
Walmart has dealt with shootings in Southhaven, Mississippi, and El Paso, Texas, within days of one another. After those shootings, many residents are voicing their opinions on what businesses should do to handle an emergency.
“You might have to put metal detectors in stores now,” Bowen said.
“I think they should have more security and then maybe more cameras on the outside,” said Necora Dyson from Crockett County. “Maybe have some more cameras where they can observe.”
We tried to reach out to our local Walmart centers for a statement in regards to how they prepare for emergency events, but they were not available for comment.
The Walmart corporation did release a statement following the mass shooting in El Paso, saying they are “praying for the victims, the community and our associates, as well as the first responders who are on the scene,” and that they are working with law enforcement.
In a White House address Monday morning, President Donald Trump stressed combating mental illness over new gun laws.
“Mental illness and hatred pulled the trigger, not the gun,” President Trump said.
Although some community members agree that having extra security at locations like this might help put things at ease and help people feel safer, they say there still isn’t one simple solution to this matter.
“I mean, if they’re going to ban guns they might as well ban them in general with everybody, but that’s not going to happen,” Dyson said.
“You can’t stop people from getting guns,” Bowen said. “They going to get them any kind of way. But some of them blame it on the president, and I don’t know if it’s his problem or not.”
While a solution continues to be discussed, the focus is on supporting those who have been impacted by the mass shootings.
“All I can say is I pray for the folks what happened in El Paso, Texas, and in Dayton, Ohio,” Bowen said. “But, you know it could happen here.”
