Despite being one of the most developed countries in the world, America, under the leadership of Donald Trump, has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in a way that has the rest of the world watching in horror as the bodies stack up.

As of this morning, the country has recorded more than 4,8 million cases, with a total of 158 931 deaths so far.

The face mask debate in the US is so out of hand that some establishments that refused to let anti-maskers in have had to close. Numerous videos have been doing the rounds of Kens and Karens losing it when asked to cover their noses and mouths.

At first, they were amusing to watch, but now the meltdowns are becoming deadly.

Here’s The Washington Post:

In recent weeks, police say arguments over masks have led to the vicious beating of Trader Joe’s employees in New York, the fatal shooting of a Family Dollar store security guard in Michigan, and the shooting of a McDonald’s worker in Oklahoma.

The latest shooting happened outside a cigar shop.

When a cigar shop clerk told Adam Zaborowski on Friday he had to wear a mask in the shop, the 35-year-old angrily refused. Instead, he grabbed two stogies, stormed outside — and then pulled a handgun and shot at the clerk, Bethlehem Township, Pa., police said.

A stogie is a relatively cheap cigar.

A witness to the crime, reports The Huffington Post, said that “It’s the mask. The guy was obviously anti-mask”.

You can see that play out here:

The rampage didn’t end there. Back to the Washington Post:

The next day, cornered near his home, Zaborowski allegedly fired at police with an AK-47, sparking a wild shootout with at least seven officers that ended with him shot multiple times and under arrest.

“He just wasn’t dealing well with the loss of his job, the loss of his child, just not handling the pandemic well,” John Waldron told the Express-Times on Sunday, while noting those factors didn’t justify his violent conduct.

“I think he was getting stretched too tight.”

I would say that repeatedly opening fire on people goes a little further than “not handling the pandemic well”.

No mention was made of the fact that gun control is so relaxed in America that just about anyone can own one, provided they are over the age of 18, not a danger to society, an ex-convict, or diagnosed as mentally unstable.

Zaborowski has been charged with 22 counts, including attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and robbery.

[source:washingtonpost&huffpost]