The USA is no stranger to macabre gun violence, a phenomenon that sporadically rears its head. The US witnessed the most devastating shooting this month. A man named Salvador Ramos shot dead 19 children and two adults, including a teacher, at an elementary school in Texas. The incident marks the worst such attack in the country since the last ten years. It has also been 10 years since the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in which 20 children had died. This year alone, there have been at least 26 such school shooting and around more than 110 school shooting since 2018, according to international media reports. However, despite a high rate of gun violence, the country’s politicians and voters continue resisting changes to their gun laws.
The biggest roadblock towards curbing “gun culture” is the US’ position on the Second Amendment, a legislation that assures citizens of the right to carry arms. Guns have been an integral part of American culture for centuries and is codified into the US Constitution as the Second Amendment, which says “the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed” as it is necessary for the security of a free country. Over 81.4 million Americans over the age of 18 own firearms, reported the 2021 National Firearms Survey. This accounts for nearly 32 per cent of its adult population, but the true number may be higher as not all US states require a permit or registration to purchase guns.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
Myriad Presidents, both the Democrats and Republicans have tried and failed to pass gun control legislations through the Congress. For example, when former US President Barrack Obama tried to bring in gun control regulation during his tenure, it was rejected by Capitol Hill. During his tenure, Barrack Obama did make some sincere efforts to check the menace of gun culture but could not get support from 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.
It is common knowledge that the US Congress’s refusal to overthrow gun violence has got a lot to do with the gun lobby, as well as the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA). While there are other gun lobbies, no one is as powerful as the NRA as it has the ability to change the outcome of polls due to its proximity to lawmakers. The NRA spends about $250 million per year, which is more than all gun control advocacy groups in the US combined. A Pew Research Report in 2021 found out that half of Americans (48%) see gun violence as a very big problem.
Another aspect is that of Gun Ownership. The US also has by far the highest number of privately owned guns. For every 100 Americans, the US has 120 guns. Survey after survey shows that a majority of gun owners believe they are safer with a gun in their homes. What is more shocking is the darker side of those who own guns and weapons. Research has shown that it is far more likely a gun in the home will be used for suicide or homicide than for self-defense. In fact, a landmark study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1993, found that keeping a gun in the house was “strongly and independently associated” with an increased risk of homicide.
The courts are another battleground, when it comes to gun culture in the US. Even if the political ecosystem is reluctant to bring gun- control legislation, a growing obstacle comes from the courts of the country, In 2008, a narrow 5-to-4 majority in the US Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, which says “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”, guarantees a personal right to possess a handgun. “There seems to us no doubt, on the basis of both text and history, that the Second Amendment conferred an individual right to keep and bear arms,” wrote then Justice Antonin Scalia in his majority opinion. While this ruling has been subjected to intense criticism, the Courts have become more supportive of gun ownership rights.
Political indifference towards the gun industry is a major part of the problem. However, what is more worrying is the glorification of gun violence in the United States – a country that dominated the arms industry. It is a horrible trend that a society that champions liberties and human rights has to face the dilemma of random attacks on its human lives.
Biden was prompt in offering his condolences, but there was not any promise of a re-look at the dysfunctional US gun control laws. Immediately after the deadly shooting, US President Joe Biden expressed his condolences and said, “Why are we willing to live with this carnage? Why do we keep letting this happen?” Biden said at the White House on Tuesday evening. “It’s time to turn this pain into action. For every parent, for every citizen in this country, we have to make it clear to every elected official in this country: it’s time to act.”
Clearly, if Biden genuinely wishes to put an end to gun culture, he ought to use his executive power and strictly enforce gun control regulations. Unless there are strict laws, there may be more massacres.
(The author is a student of Mass Media and
Journalism in
Mumbai, India)
