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The Cycle of Increasing Gun Violence in America Must Be Broken
Published in Mainichi Shimbun
(Japan) on 7 June 2021
by (link to original)
(Japan) on 7 June 2021
by (link to original)
Translated from
by David Good.
Edited by Elizabeth Cosgriff.
Gun violence in America is rapidly increasing.
Last month in Florida, three men indiscriminately opened fire on a crowd of young people, leaving many injured and killed. In South Carolina, another mass shooting killed a 14-year-old girl and injured more than a dozen people.
Since the beginning of this year, the number of gun-related deaths from homicides and accidents have exceeded 8,300. That is a rate of more than 50 victims per day, surpassing last year’s pace, which was the highest in recent years. This is an extremely serious state of affairs.
Particularly surprising is the fact that there have already been more than 120 victims aged 11 and younger. These deaths include accidents where children were playing with guns as well as instances where they were caught up in shootings. It is heartbreaking that innocent children are so routinely losing their lives to guns.
It’s thought that the COVID-19 pandemic is a factor behind this surge in gun violence. Last year, as the pandemic spread, the number of gun victims increased by about 30% from the previous year. It can’t be denied that some may have been pushed toward violence by feelings of depression.
Due to the decline in public safety, more people purchased guns for self-defense, and last year saw the highest number of gun sales on record. Additionally, the circulation of a large quantity of ”ghost guns,” which are assembled from prefabricated parts and lack any way to identify the owner, facilitated crime.
This snowballing effect of an increasing number of guns which are flooding American society forms a vicious cycle. It’s said that the number of guns in America has now reached 400 million, a number exceeding the entire American population. Something must be done to break this cycle and stop gun violence.
Most Americans acknowledge that gun violence is a serious problem. However, opinion is split regarding how to respond to the issue.
The majority Democratic Party wants to strengthen regulations to reduce crime. The minority Republican Party contends that if regulations are strengthened, people may lose the means to defend themselves.
The U.S. Constitution allows citizens to own guns. However, it must be remembered that this is for self-defense. The current situation of assault weapons flooding American cities goes far beyond self-defense.
Meeting force with force only contributes to America’s gun culture. Strengthen regulations so that such deadly guns are not easy to obtain. Make background checks stricter, and prevent illegal sales. Such policies are clearly needed.
No democratic nation other than America has this amount of gun violence. It’s no wonder that President Joe Biden recognized it as “an international embarrassment.” If you are going to preach about the value of human life and human rights to the rest of the world, you must first solve your own problems.
Last month in Florida, three men indiscriminately opened fire on a crowd of young people, leaving many injured and killed. In South Carolina, another mass shooting killed a 14-year-old girl and injured more than a dozen people.
Since the beginning of this year, the number of gun-related deaths from homicides and accidents have exceeded 8,300. That is a rate of more than 50 victims per day, surpassing last year’s pace, which was the highest in recent years. This is an extremely serious state of affairs.
Particularly surprising is the fact that there have already been more than 120 victims aged 11 and younger. These deaths include accidents where children were playing with guns as well as instances where they were caught up in shootings. It is heartbreaking that innocent children are so routinely losing their lives to guns.
It’s thought that the COVID-19 pandemic is a factor behind this surge in gun violence. Last year, as the pandemic spread, the number of gun victims increased by about 30% from the previous year. It can’t be denied that some may have been pushed toward violence by feelings of depression.
Due to the decline in public safety, more people purchased guns for self-defense, and last year saw the highest number of gun sales on record. Additionally, the circulation of a large quantity of ”ghost guns,” which are assembled from prefabricated parts and lack any way to identify the owner, facilitated crime.
This snowballing effect of an increasing number of guns which are flooding American society forms a vicious cycle. It’s said that the number of guns in America has now reached 400 million, a number exceeding the entire American population. Something must be done to break this cycle and stop gun violence.
Most Americans acknowledge that gun violence is a serious problem. However, opinion is split regarding how to respond to the issue.
The majority Democratic Party wants to strengthen regulations to reduce crime. The minority Republican Party contends that if regulations are strengthened, people may lose the means to defend themselves.
The U.S. Constitution allows citizens to own guns. However, it must be remembered that this is for self-defense. The current situation of assault weapons flooding American cities goes far beyond self-defense.
Meeting force with force only contributes to America’s gun culture. Strengthen regulations so that such deadly guns are not easy to obtain. Make background checks stricter, and prevent illegal sales. Such policies are clearly needed.
No democratic nation other than America has this amount of gun violence. It’s no wonder that President Joe Biden recognized it as “an international embarrassment.” If you are going to preach about the value of human life and human rights to the rest of the world, you must first solve your own problems.
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