Tears and Recriminations Will Not Solve US ‘Gun Disaster’

May 24, local time, marked the second anniversary of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. In this tragic event that shocked the entire U.S., 19 elementary school students and two teachers were brutally shot and killed by an 18-year-old gunman.

Although two years have passed, people still can’t get over their immense grief. The victims’ families had previously filed a lawsuit accusing Texas police of gross negligence in their response to the shooting. On May 24, they also sued gun manufacturer Daniel Defense, video game company Activision and social media giant Meta. According to the lawsuit, the weapon used by the gunman was manufactured by Daniel Defense, while Meta’s social media platform and Activision’s games directly exposed minors to advertisements for the gun and instructions for its use.

More Guns, Less Security

According to the latest data from the Gun Violence Archive website, as of May 26, there have been 172 mass shootings in the U.S. this year, resulting in 6,565 deaths from gun violence. The constant sound of gunfire seems to have become part of daily life for Americans.

As the country with the highest rate of personal gun ownership in the world, the United States, with a population of around 330 million, has over 393 million guns, an average of 1.2 guns per person. Data from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions in 2023 showed that nearly half (46%) of the world’s civilian-owned firearms are in the U.S.; nearly half (46%) of American households own at least one gun, with 30% of individuals reporting gun ownership.

Former Mayor of Philadelphia Jim Kenney has lamented these staggering statistics and that the United States is a nation of firearms. “This is a gun country,” Kenney said. “It’s crazy. We are the most armed country in world history and we are one of the least safe.” Some analysts suggest that while the frequent gun-related incidents in the U.S. are undoubtedly the result of multiple factors, repeated setbacks in gun control laws are a key reason for the lack of progress in tackling gun violence. Loopholes in gun control regulations also contribute to the high number of tragedies. Although U.S. federal law requires background checks for all gun sales, this requirement does not restrict the sale of guns between private individuals.

Kristin Goss, coauthor of “The Gun Debate,” sees this as a significant loophole in the circulation of guns in the U.S. “You could be a felon, convicted of domestic violence, a fugitive, or illegally in the U.S. … In many parts of the U.S., even if you are one of these categories, you can still buy a gun privately without going through a background check and this is a huge loophole.”

Has Gun Violence Become a ‘Natural Disaster’ in the US?

When you consider the impact of guns on children and teenagers, the consequences are even more alarming. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 1,682 children and teenagers in the U.S. died because of guns in 2023, with another 4,512 injured. This does not include gun-related suicides.

According to the Gun Violence Archive website, as of May 26, 554 children and teenagers have died in the United States as a result of gunfire this year. Guns are the leading cause of death for U.S. children and teens according to analysis by the Pew Research Center of the latest annual mortality data from the CDC. Research from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions indicates that gun ownership increases the risk of injury or death for individuals and their families.

However, these bloody facts have failed to set alarm bells ringing in the U.S. Some media outlets have said that in response to each gun shooting, the U.S. merely tallies the numbers without taking any action to change the situation. It is as if gun violence has become a “natural disaster” like floods, hurricanes or wildfires, rather than a preventable man-made tragedy.

‘A Death Sentence for Countless Americans’

For years, gun control has been the focus of a game played by politicians from both parties in the U.S. But after years of gamesmanship, divisions seem to have increased and incidents of gun violence have become more frequent amid the endless tug of war between the two sides.

USA Today has commented that the U.S. still lacks an effective gun control bill to curb gun violence, which is “the very least our political leaders owe us.” Its article pointed out that it is because of fanatical pro-gun advocates and legislators in Congress who are closely linked to gun manufacturers that the lives of so many Americans have been changed by gun violence in a “domestic carnage wholly unique to this gun-obsessed nation.”

Indeed, the gun lobby has long been a significant obstacle to gun control in the U.S. Despite years of financial troubles and internal disputes, the National Rifle Association remains the most powerful gun lobby group in the country, with a large budget to influence the gun policies of members of Congress. Over the past several election cycles, the NRA has consistently outspent gun control advocacy groups in its promotion of gun rights.

In the face of escalating gun violence, gun control advocate Kris Brown has warned that the situation is now critical: “We need consistent federal laws nationwide. We don’t need courts to interpret the Second Amendment as protecting citizens’ gun rights — that’s a death sentence for countless Americans.”