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![]() Saturday, July 31, 1999 Published at 07:59 GMT 08:59 UK ![]() ![]() World: Americas ![]() Atlanta shootings spark gun debate ![]() Police sealed off area after shootings ![]() America is again debating the issue of gun control following the Atlanta shootings which left nine people dead.
But in the city where the killings took place, Atlanta, the main newspaper has strongly urged more control of guns. Amateur trader Mark Barton went on the rampage in the city, shooting dead nine people before turning his gun on himself. Earlier in the week he had killed his second wife and two children. In an editorial called Guns and Madness, the Atlanta Constitution aligned itself behind moves for more gun control. A civilised society, it said, protected itself by laws not guns. The problem is though that the American idea of gun control, especially handgun control, is simply to stop the young, the criminal and the insane from getting them. Hillary Clinton said as much when she was asked for her reaction, and she is regarded as somewhat radical. Clinton under fire But her husband, President Clinton, has kept his counsel. He is known to think that defeating the powerful National Rifle Association and the Republicans over this might take an election or two, and it is shaping up to be an election issue.
In a BBC interview on Friday, Hollywood star and president of the National Rifle Association Charlton Heston said that it was vital that Americans retained their right to bear arms. He denied more legislation was needed. Instead he blamed President Clinton for failing to ensure that the existing 22,000 gun laws were properly enforced. Mr Heston blamed the Atlanta shootings on a "maladjusted person". Barton vowed vengeance
Barton was an amateur trader who had reportedly lost $105,000 on the stock market. Click here to read excerpts of the letter Momentum Securities said he had posted the loss during 15 days of trading at its Atlanta office, where he went on his shooting spree.
On Thursday Barton walked into the offices of the All-Tech Investment brokerage firm and opened fire with two handguns, a .45 calibre and 9mm semi-automatic.
Click here to see map
Just before shooting at All-Tech, Barton reportedly told the firm's employees before pulling the trigger, "I hope I won't ruin your trading day."
He then continued the shooting spree at Momentum Securities in a nearby building.
Nine people were killed in the shootings, and 13 were injured, with three of the wounded in critical condition Friday.
After a manhunt lasting several hours, police cornered Barton in his van where he shot himself, ending a killing spree that had begun Tuesday when he bludgeoned his wife to death.
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