China News Service, May 17 (Reporter Meng Xiangjun) 8 times that of Canada, 22 times that of the European Union, 23 times that of Australia, and nearly 100 times that of the United Kingdom...
These figures aren’t about how the U.S.’s GDP is ahead of other countries, but a University of Washington study of 2019 gun violence death rates in the U.S. compared to Western countries.
"Hate is the stain on the American soul," US President Joe Biden said.
Why is it so difficult to control guns even though more than 116 people are killed by gun violence every day in this country?
【Blood Buffalo】
In the week since May 9, there have been almost daily newspaper shootings in the United States.
One of the mass and bloody shootings was broadcast live on an online gaming platform, sparking an uproar.
The initiator of the live broadcast and the shooter himself were an 18-year-old white young man, Peyton Kindron.
On May 14, local time, a mass shooting occurred in a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, USA. The local police have sealed off the scene of the accident.
On the 14th local time, Jindron drove to a supermarket near an African-American community in Buffalo, New York, and shot people with a semi-automatic rifle, killing 10 people and injuring 3 others.
There are various indications that this was a pre-planned and well-prepared attack:
1. The gunman was wearing camouflage uniforms, bulletproof vests and other military equipment, and was not injured after being shot by supermarket security;
2. The gunman wore a helmet with a camera and logged in to an online account to briefly live-stream the murder;
3. Before the murder, the gunman was suspected of publishing a 180-page "manifesto" online;
4. The gunman drove to a specific location, and African Americans were the target of the attack. A total of 11 black people and 2 white people were killed and injured.
At present, Jindron has been detained and charged with first-degree murder, which is the most serious murder in New York state. If convicted, he will be sentenced to life in prison without the right to parole.
Data map: Anders Breivik, the murderer of the shooting on the island of Ute, Norway.
In the so-called "manifesto," Kindron called himself a "fascist, white supremacist and anti-Semitic."
He claimed the crime was "inspired" by a number of heinous gunmen, including:
Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway in 2011
Dylan Ruff, who killed 9 African-Americans at an American church in 2015
Brenton Tarrant, who shot 51 people at a New Zealand mosque in 2019
The incident is classified as an act of domestic terrorism in the United States.
The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the hate crime of "white supremacy and racially violent extremism."
U.S. dignitaries and the Secretary-General of the United Nations all expressed their condemnation.
US President Biden:
"Hate is still a stain on the American soul, and the determination of American society to eliminate hatred remains unshakable."
Vice President Harris:
"Condolences to the victims and their loved ones. Racially motivated hate crimes or violent extremism hurts everyone."
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi:
"Social media companies must address and track extremist behaviour on their platforms, remain vigilant and alert authorities."
U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell:
"Racism has always been the poison in America, and America urgently needs to address gun violence. Racism, segregation, and white supremacy have long had a negative impact on American society."
New York Governor Hocher:
Calling for national laws to control guns, "social media should be held accountable for the content of their platforms."
"Unrestricted access to firearms and the sharing of hateful messages online are a deadly combination."
Data map: United Nations Secretary-General Guterres.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan
Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General:
Secretary-General António Guterres "appalled" at the death of 10 people.
Guterres "strongly condemns all forms of racism and discrimination based on racial, religious or ethnic identity and hopes a fair trial will prevail".
[Controlling the "Ghost Gun"]
Just last month, 62-year-old American Frank James launched an attack in Brooklyn, New York City. After throwing two smoke bombs into the subway, he fired at passengers with a pistol dozens of times, wounding 10 people and wounding 10 others. More than 10 people were injured due to smoke inhalation and falls.
According to foreign media reports, the gunman James often publishes hate speech on social media, criticizing the New York City government for mass expulsion of subway homeless people in order to combat crime, and slams the new New York Mayor Adams, who has been in office for more than 3 months, The gun control policy is "destined to fail" ".
On April 12, local time, a shooting occurred at the 36th Street subway station in Brooklyn, New York City, and a large number of police and related departments rushed to the scene.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan
And all of this happened just one day after the Biden administration's presidential decree against gun violence was issued.
On April 11, Biden signed an executive order to regulate and outlaw "ghost guns" and plan to increase police spending in the 2023 budget.
A "ghost gun" refers to a homemade gun, assembled or modified from freely sold components, usually without a traceable serial number.
It has become the weapon of choice for many gunmen. For example, on March 22, 2021, the gunman used the assembled stabilizer in the shooting that killed 10 people in Boulder, Colorado, USA.
On March 16, 2021, 21-year-old American Robert Aaron Long shot and killed eight people in what was considered the "last straw that broke the camel's back."
Because he bought the weapon legally, the gun store salesman recalled that it only took more than a minute to check whether he had the ability to be criminally responsible.
Data map: The weapons held by the gunman in the 2019 Dayton, Ohio, shooting, were released by the police.
Statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice show that from 2016 to 2020, law enforcement agencies found nearly 24,000 "ghost guns" at crime scenes. The surge in the number of such guns has undoubtedly increased the difficulty of police handling cases.
The U.S. Department of Justice has recommended:
Firearm retailers to verify buyer's bio before selling firearm components
Firearm manufacturers are required to mark the serial number on the firearm receiver for easy tracking
Gun dealers should 3D print handguns or other non-production firearms with serial numbers
Tighten sales rules for gun parts that improve shooting accuracy, stability, and ease of use
Local governments can legislate allowing citizens to ask courts to restrict relatives' access to weapons in the event of conflict or threats of suicide
【Concepts are polarized】
Although Biden asked the Department of Justice to make such guns considered standard guns, and deliberately "opened up" the problem of gun proliferation, why are all parties not optimistic?
US President Biden.
First, U.S. politics continues to be polarized.
American election politics is tied to the interests of gun groups. The Democratic Party advocates strict gun control, while the Republican Party opposes the gun control proposals of previous governments.
With the mid-term elections approaching in November, the issue of guns will become one of the focuses of the "donkey-elephant dispute".
Against the background of political polarization, it is a long process and intense game to pass Congress legislation.
For example, the Senate needs 60 votes to pass legislation, not only the support of all Democratic senators, but also the support of at least 10 Republicans.
A bill to enhance background checks for gun buyers is still stuck in the Senate.
The presidential executive order is different from congressional legislation. Biden bypassed Congress and introduced new regulations this time, which has sparked criticism and opposition from Republicans, and gun-owning organizations with powerful political power also plan to sue.
If Biden further reforms, he may lose central and southern voters, so he will be constrained a lot.
Data map: Teachers at a school in Utah, USA, learn how to disarm the gunman and fight back.
Image source: Visual China
Second, social concepts are further torn apart.
There is a growing awareness of the dangers of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states that "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be violated."
But while gun safety activists have criticized the government for "not doing enough" and arguing that the most basic right to life needs to be ensured, gun groups are still clinging to the idea of "everyone owns a gun to promote social safety."
Moreover, local governments in the United States often go their own way, and many states have passed looser gun laws, leading to the continued or even exacerbated problem of gun proliferation.
The up and down are not effective, and the differences are more and more.
Third, racial issues intensify conflict.
The New York Times pointed out that among the groups affected by gun violence, African Americans are still in serious condition. From 2019 to 2020, nearly 12,000 victims of this group were killed, and the related gun-related homicide rate increased by 39.5%.
Young African-American men are 20 times more likely to be shot than white men.
The shooter in the Buffalo massacre claimed to have studied "how to kill as many African Americans as possible."
On May 25, 2021, local time, Americans commemorated the first anniversary of the death of George Floyd, an African-American man.
After the death of African-American Floyd by police brutality in 2020, large-scale "Black Lives Matter" demonstrations and protests broke out in the United States, with far-reaching social impact.
After the incident, U.S. gun sales surged.
In fact, Social Science Quarterly cites research showing that after each mass shooting, sales of weapons such as rifles and pistols are more popular than before.
[Another "epidemic"]
In addition, there are superpositions of special factors.
For example, the new crown epidemic has led to a decrease in the income of the American people, especially the middle and lower classes, a change in mentality, and a further lack of sense of security.
According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the "historic" increase in gun-related homicides in the United States in 2020 may be caused by outbreaks and poverty.
The gun-related homicide rate per 100,000 Americans was 6.1, the highest in 25 years.
Data map: The interior of a gun shop.
According to the "Archives of Gun Violence" website, as of May 14, since 2022, 15,840 people in the United States have been killed by guns and 13,017 people have been injured, which may be a new high.
According to statistics, American civilians possessed about 393 million weapons in 2018, and nearly 330 million people possessed 1.2 weapons per capita.
However, such a country has not exchanged more security for itself.
"Gun violence in this country is an epidemic. It's an international shame," Biden has said.
(Finish)