Another Friday morning, another gunman goes after his former co-workers.

On Aug. 24, a heavily armed gunman killed his former boss outside the Empire State Building in New York City. The NYPD ultimately took down the shooter, injuring nine bystanders in the process.

A week later, on Aug. 31, a man armed with an AK-47 and a handgun kills two former co-workers and himself at a grocery store in New Jersey.

Is this becoming a pattern? Let’s hope not. But two shootings in two weeks in two very public places is cause for concern.

Of course, gun control supporters immediately jump on the incidents, calling for more control over who can buy guns legally in the United States. We’ve all heard about how the young man who killed theater-goers in Colorado earlier this summer bought thousands of rounds of ammunition over the Internet with no problem. Would stricter gun control laws have stopped him? Probably not.

But, another logical question arises: what does the average American civilian need with an assault rifle, such as an AK-47? To own one just because he or she can? A quick Google search shows that one can buy not only an AK-47 online, but also body armor, all the ammo you could ever want and survival food. Nice to have in case of an apocalypse, sure, but also all anyone who wants revenge on his former boss or co-workers could ever need — purchased legally, with no one batting an eye.

There has to be a way to stop these crazed gunmen without infringing on law-abiding Americans’ rights. So, what is that answer? Hopefully, someone figures it out soon, before more innocent people have to die needlessly. The rest of us can only hope and pray that someone we know and love isn’t next.