JOIN USUS gun violence continues unabated
Yet another mass shooting in the US has left a community, indeed the world, grieving, angry, and enraged because this could have been prevented. This time the shooting was at an elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee. Three adults and three nine-year-old children were shot dead. The 28-year-old assailant, a former student of the school, was shot dead soon after the police arrived on the scene.
The killing has sent shockwaves across the US and the world. Violence is always distressing, particularly when victims are unarmed people and children. It is not just the family and friends of those who died who will grieve their loss, but also children and people in the town who are left traumatised and emotionally scarred. People are holding candlelight vigils across the US to mourn the victims and express solidarity with the survivors. What is perhaps running through the minds of millions is how many more times Americans will have to gather to grieve for victims of gun violence.
The US boasts strong democratic institutions and traditions. Yet it is unable, or seemingly unwilling, to protect its youngest citizens from gun violence. How many tragedies will America have to endure before its government acts decisively to halt the sale of automatic guns?
The statistics of shootings in the US are alarming. In each of the last three years, the country witnessed 600 mass shootings. This year alone, there have been 130 shootings so far. Nineteen of these were in schools and colleges and resulted in injury to at least one person. The Nashville shooting is the deadliest since the May 2022 attack at Uvalde in Texas which left 21 dead.
America’s gun culture is fuelling violence. The ownership of guns, and their flaunting and use are celebrated as rights to be defended. Owning a gun is a matter of pride. Consider this–one in 20 adults in the US owns at least one AR-15. Many Americans cite the US Constitution’s Second Amendment to justify their right to bear firearms. They have the right to own a gun and this right cannot be snatched away from them. They claim that they need guns to secure themselves. This is illogical as guns have made Americans vulnerable to violence. The Republican Party and the National Rifle Association have blocked legislation that would make it more difficult for people to acquire guns, especially automatics that can kill dozens in a matter of seconds. Elite campaigns for gun reform have not worked so far. America needs a mass movement against weapons killing its children.