Even with Shootings, American Laws Extend Bearing Arms

After 20 children and six adults were killed a year ago in another mass shooting in the United States, it seemed that Americans were ready to put a stop to the excessive liberality of rules regarding the selling of arms in a country in which a person of 18 years can buy a rifle or a revolver, but is still prohibited from buying beer.

In the months that followed the tragedy of Sandy Hook in Connecticut, state legislatures were bubbling with proposals relating to this subject, with the presentation of 1,500 bills. Of these, 109 became law. But the majority of them — 70 in all — further loosened the already tenuous controls on gun ownership. Only 39 increased restrictions.

The 20 children assassinated by an assault rifle in Sandy Hook were between six and seven years old. There were 12 girls and 8 boys. Due to the impact of the tragedy, President Obama presented a proposal expanding the background checks on those wishing to buy weapons.

Far from being radical, the proposal had a modest objective of preventing semi-automatic rifles and the like from falling into the hands of people known for crimes, including acts of domestic violence, or who had a history of mental problems. The proposal was buried in April, when it received the vote of 54 out of the country’s 100 senators, six less than the 60 needed for approval. The passionate debate surrounding the subject is difficult to digest for outsiders and many Americans frustrated by the efficacy of the pro-arms lobby, the National Rifle Association (NRA), which resists even the slightest attempts to limit that sector. The defense of carrying rifles, revolvers, pistols and the like is based on the Second Amendment of the Constitution, according to which that right cannot be violated by the state.

In a modern version of saloons in American Westerns, in September, Starbucks asked its clients to leave their weapons at home when they are in one of the 11,000 Starbucks stores in the United States. It is not that the majority of Americans walk the streets with their revolvers in their belts, but the fact that the largest network of cafes in the country felt compelled to divulge a policy of this type reveals how customary the practice is, especially in the interior [of the country].