Gun Violence in the US: A Never-Ending Tragedy

Published in Berliner Zeitung
(Germany) on 1 December 2021
by Anne Vorbringer (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Lily Badmus. Edited by Michelle Bisson.
The United States simply cannot get gun violence under control. Now there has been another deadly shooting at a high school.

The alleged perpetrator is 15 years old. He allegedly killed three students at his high school in Michigan. Another eight people were injured. Videos of the crime scene have been broadcast on CNN. You can see barricaded classrooms, a bullet hole in a door and the school building surrounded by police officers. These pictures are all too familiar. Just as familiar are the typical reactions after these shootings: Condolences are expressed by politicians of the highest ranks and demands are made for stricter gun laws.

However, the U.S. simply does not have this problem under control. In this year alone, there have already been 28 shootings with injuries or deaths at U.S. schools. The death toll in Michigan sadly sets a new record. Two girls, ages 14 and 17, will never come back home. The parents of a 16-year-old boy are also grieving. The gun that was used to kill the teenagers had been legally acquired by the shooter’s father only a few days earlier.

What happened after the rampage at Columbine High School in 1999, in which 13 people were killed? At that time, there was more than enough criticism of the deficient gun control laws in the country, which enable underage offenders to get hold of firearms without difficulty. Nationwide, more than 800 bills that aimed to tighten gun control laws were proposed — but only 10% were successful. On a federal level, all the bills failed in Congress.

As a rule, these failures are strongly linked to the Republicans and the powerful gun lobby. However, even Democratic President Joe Biden, who called for stricter gun laws during his election campaign, has yet to produce concrete results.


Waffengewalt in den USA: Ein nicht enden wollendes Trauerspiel

Die Vereinigten Staaten bekommen die Waffengewalt einfach nicht in den Griff. Nun sind an einer High School wieder tödliche Schüsse gefallen.

Der mutmaßliche Täter ist 15 Jahre alt. An seiner High School in Michigan soll er drei Mitschüler getötet, acht weitere Personen verletzt haben. Bei CNN laufen Videos vom Tatort: Verbarrikadierte Klassenzimmer, in einer Tür klafft ein Einschussloch, das Schulgebäude ist von Polizisten umstellt. Man kennt diese Bilder nur zu gut, genauso wie die danach üblichen Reflexe: Beileidsbekundungen von höchster politischer Stelle, Forderungen nach strengeren Waffengesetzen.

Doch Amerika bekommt dieses Problem einfach nicht in den Griff. Allein in diesem Jahr gab es schon 28 Schießereien an US-Schulen mit Verletzungen oder Todesfällen. Die Opferzahl in Michigan setzt den bisherigen traurigen Höchststand. Zwei Mädchen, 14 und 17 Jahre alt, kommen nie mehr nach Hause, auch den Eltern eines 16-jährigen Jungen bleibt nichts als Trauer. Die Waffe, durch die die Jugendlichen ums Leben kamen, hatte der Vater des Todesschützen erst vor ein paar Tagen legal erworben.

Wie war es nach dem Amoklauf an der Columbine High School 1999, als 13 Menschen starben? Kritik gab es damals genug an der mangelhaften Waffenkontrolle im Land, die es minderjährigen Tätern ermöglicht, ohne größere Hürden an Schusswaffen zu gelangen. Landesweit wurden mehr als 800 Gesetzesentwürfe zur Verschärfung des Waffenrechts eingebracht – aber nur zehn Prozent waren erfolgreich. Auf Bundesebene scheiterten sämtliche Gesetzesentwürfe im Kongress.

In der Regel wird dieses Scheitern an den Republikanern und der mächtigen Waffenlobby festgemacht. Doch auch der demokratische Präsident Joe Biden, der sich im Wahlkampf für schärfere Gesetze starkmachte, bleibt bislang konkrete Ergebnisse schuldig.
This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

Hot this week

Canada: Trump Did What Had To Be Done

India: US, Israel and the Age of Moral Paralysis

Singapore: Iranian Response in Qatar Was Specifically Targeted at Washington – ‘We Are Done’

Australia: What US Intelligence and Leaks Tell Us about ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’

Topics

Australia: What US Intelligence and Leaks Tell Us about ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’

Australia: Tech Billionaires To Reap the Rewards of Trump’s Strongarm Tax Tactics

Austria: Would-Be King Trump Doesn’t Have His House in Order

Argentina: Middle East: From Nuclear Agreement to Preventive Attack, Who’s in Control?

Canada: Trump Did What Had To Be Done

Japan: Reckless Government Usage of Military To Suppress Protests

Mexico: The Military, Migrants and More

Related Articles

Germany: Can Donald Trump Be Convinced To Remain Engaged in Europe?

Germany: Friedrich Merz’s Visit to Trump Succeeded because It Didn’t Fail

Germany: Horror Show in Oval Office at Meeting of Merz and Trump

Germany: Trump’s Tariff Policy: ‘Dealmaker’ under Pressure

Germany: Trump for the Charlemagne Prize!