Ah, Labor Day. The traditional end of summer, complete with barbecues, trips to the beach and gunfire.

According to The Trace, a news site dedicated to covering gun violence, at least 145 people were killed and 302 wounded by gunfire over the Friday-to-Monday weekend.

“Celebrating” the holiday with shootings was most popular in Chicago, where nine people were killed and 46 wounded with guns over the weekend. Charlotte, North Carolina, was also busy, with five people killed and 12 wounded.

But those weren’t the only places with shootings over the holiday.

--Lisa Hall of Kansas City, Missouri, shot and killed her 5-year-old son while pointing a gun at her boyfriend during an argument;

--Ten-year-old Jason Taylor was wounded by random gunfire while walking home from a store in Winston-Salem, North Carolina;

-- Carey Gabay, a lawyer in the administration of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) was in critical condition after being shot at West Indian Day celebrations in Brooklyn;

--A farmer, Donnie Perleberg, was killed and Mary Seiler wounded when they were shot in the back at a wedding reception in New Rockford, North Dakota.

This is one American tradition worth ending.

-Steve Straehley

To Learn More:

At Least 145 People Were Killed By Gunfire Over Labor Day Weekend (by Jennifer Mascia, The Trace)

Gun Violence Archive

Black Men: 6% of Population; 40% of Unarmed People Shot to Death by Police This Year (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)

Police Shoot to Death One Unarmed Person Every 3 Days in U.S. (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)