Two mass shootings in the US state of California earlier this month that killed 18 people in 48 hours are another grim reminder of the gun violence epidemic facing the world’s most powerful country. on January 21 A gunman killed 11 people in Monterey Park, California In the nation’s deadliest mass shooting so far this year. two days later, Seven killed in Half Moon Bay, in Northern California. A few hours later, a shooting in Oakland resulted in the death of one person and the wounding of seven others. “Tragedy upon tragedy,” was California Governor Gavin Newsom’s lament about the shooting. US President Joe Biden has once again called for a ban on assault weapons. Beyond these statements, it is questionable whether the US Congress will pass any meaningful gun control legislation. In January alone, there have been 38 shooting incidents in 17 different states of America. In the US, where the Second Amendment assures citizens the right to bear arms, there are about 120 firearms for every 100 residents. Yet, despite repeated mass shootings, the US still lacks strong national-level gun control laws. Whenever there is a mass shooting, the President issues strong statements and calls for legislative action, which fall on deaf ears.
last year, after An 18-year-old former student shot 19 elementary school children In Uvalde, Texas, Congress passed comprehensive firearms legislation, the first in three decades, that expanded background checks for gun buyers under the age of 21 and imposed fines on gun trafficking and straw purchases. Although widely welcomed, it did not do enough to control gun violence in the country with the world’s largest number of guns per capita. The Supreme Court’s decision last year to strike down a New York state law that upheld the Second Amendment’s ban on carrying guns outside the home was a blow to efforts to enact stricter state-wise legislation. House Democrats passed an assault weapon ban last year, but it never reached Mr Biden’s desk as the bill stalled in the Senate. Republicans have often invoked constitutional rights to block the legislation. The deep-pocketed and influential National Rifle Association and the powerful gun manufacturing industry have consistently opposed gun control measures, despite polls showing a widespread desire for tighter controls. Everyone knows what needs to be done – tougher gun control. But it is surprising and sad that a democracy that prides itself on its values and a superpower that has gone to war in the name of protecting its citizens, when it comes to doing what has to be done even when hundreds of thousands of Americans are killed So he appears helpless. due to gun violence each year.