That's just awful, not only for that poor woman and her family, but also for you and the people in the community. There are few things as jarring as having that illusion of safety being ripped out from under you.

Guns have been, at least from my perspective as a Canadian looking south, an ever growing problem in the US. It seems to be to stem from the 2nd Amendment and the courts that seem to take a very literal interpretation of it. The Amendment, written in 1791, says we get guns, so guns we shall have!

The problem is it's not 1791.

There's a doctrine in constitutional law (at least in Canada) called the living tree, which basically means that a foundational document such as a Constitution must be interpreted within the context of the times. It's provisions must be interpreted as growing and evolving along with the society within which it is applied. In this case, that would mean recognizing that the US isn't an agrarian, start up country where everyone needs a musket to both shoort vermen and protect themselves against inturders. But I guess that would take some common sense, and that appears to be in short supply.

Stay safe.