Editorial: Menace of mass shootings
This is the stark reality of America, a country where the gun lobby holds much more clout than the healthcare industry
Mass shootings in America have acquired a sense of macabre familiarity and occur with unfailing regularity. Though there has been massive public outrage against these pointless killings and a raging debate over gun laws, nothing much happens in a country where buying military-grade weapons off the shelf cheaper is easier and more accessible than buying health insurance cover. In yet another instance of a mass shooting, at least ten people were killed in California’s Los Angeles when a gunman opened fire at a dance venue during an event organised to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. This is the fifth mass shooting in the US this month, and the deadliest since 21 people were killed in a school in Texas. Last year, 647 mass shootings were recorded across the country. These numbers are shocking and reflect the menace of gun violence. Firearms in private hands are common in the US and according to a survey there were 390 million guns in circulation in 2018. An estimated 1.5 million people were killed by firearms in the US between 1968 and 2017 — exceeding the number of soldiers killed in all US conflicts since the American War for Independence in 1775. In 2020, more than 45,000 Americans died in gun violence incidents, either by homicide or suicide — the highest for a year on record. The issue of gun laws in the US is a hyper-partisan and extremely divisive one, falling largely along party lines. While Democrats are nearly unanimous in their support for stricter gun laws, the Republicans overwhelmingly back gun ownership as a constitutional right.
The US ratio of 120 firearms per 100 residents far surpasses that of other countries in the world. Gun ownership grew significantly over the last several years. Politicians recognise this as a problem almost unique to America but it’s a problem that politics seem incapable of solving. For all its sheen of freedom, democracy, equal opportunity and liberal values, America’s worst-kept secret is the menace of mass shootings. One fails to understand why any legal system should allow an unhinged teenager to buy automatic weapons virtually unquestioned and unleash terror on unsuspecting people. This is the stark reality of America, a country where the gun lobby holds much more clout than the healthcare industry. During his tenure, President Barack Obama did make some sincere efforts to check the menace of gun culture but could not get support from the Congress. He had aggressively advocated for more gun-control and safety measures and called his failure to pass significant reforms one of the greatest frustrations of his presidency. People could be safer only if the country bans assault rifles with large ammunition magazines that are used by mass murderers. Some states have taken steps to ban or strictly regulate the ownership of assault weapons.
