A controversial rendition of the “Blame Game” has taken over social media over who is to blame for the increase in mass shootings after a gunman set his sights on a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregation in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, killing at least four people and injuring eight, according to the Associated Press reports.
The event took place on Sept. 28 shortly after 10:00 a.m. The shooter has been identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford, a 40-year-old former United States Marine. Authorities say Sanford allegedly drove to the church
in a pickup truck with two American flags raised in the back and started shooting. He then allegedly used gas to cause a fire, but authorities also found explosive devices at the scene.Police Chief William Renye said the gunman was fatally gunned down after leaving the church. Sanford and pursuing officers “engaged in gunfire,” killing him in roughly eight minutes.
During the search, two bodies were found, but Renye said more victims could be accounted for as the search continues through the church. One of the injured victims is said to be in critical condition, with the seven others being listed as stable.
Shortly after news of the tragedy broke,
President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform to label the gunman as ”an anti-Christian leftist.” However, resurfaced pictures of Sanford may create a different narrative, as he’s seen wearing a “Make Liberals Cry Again” shirt.Radio host and political commentator Michael Smerconish spoke on the debate of which side of the aisle is responsible for the rise in political violence during a segment of “Real Time With Bill Maher.” He pointed out, with South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace sitting next to him, during the memorial for Charlie Kirk, Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy, kept
using the pronoun “they” when describing who took Kirk’s life when “he” should have been used. “There’s a whole movement out there instilling all this violence against conservatives when the facts belie that,” Smerconish said.“There’s too much violence that comes from both sides, and the data suggests, frankly, that more of it is coming from the right.”
According to tracking from CNN, there has been an uptick in mass shootings, with the total in 2024 passing the amount of totals recorded for any year between 2013 and 2019. And the number is rising.
On the same day as the Michigan shooting,
reports of another mass shooting in the seaside town of Southport, North Carolina, were revealed. Authorities say 40-year-old Nigel Max Edge targeted a popular bar by opening fire from his boat, calling it “highly premeditated,” taking the lives of three people and injuring close to five.RELATED CONTENT: 2 Children Dead, 17 Injured In Minneapolis School Shooting