WASHINGTON

- In one of the deadliest mass killings in America, an 18-year-old man opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Ovaldi, southern Texas, on Tuesday, killing 21 people, including 19 children as young as 9 years old.

Ovaldi is located 75 miles from the Mexican-American border, and is home to 15,000 people, 78% of whom are Hispanic, most of whom are from Mexico.

This incident came just 10 days after a white youth killed 10 black shoppers at a store in upstate New York.

Ten years ago, Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut witnessed one of the most heinous mass murders, when a young gunman killed 26 people, including 20 students under the age of 8.

The Texas school incident has sparked a new debate about the influence of firearms companies in the United States (Reuters)

renewed controversy

As usual, following the occurrence of these incidents, the United States is witnessing the same controversy and taking the same traditional measures, as President Joe Biden ordered the flags to be flown at half-mast over government buildings for 3 days of mourning for the victims, while a war of words began between Republicans and Democrats over responsibility for the occurrence of these incidents, while reminding American citizens. The power and influence of lobbies of firearms companies.

In an emotional speech to the American people, Biden said he was "disgusted and tired of the continuing mass shootings in the United States," and called for "courage in confronting the lobbies of gun companies, and turning the pain into action to pass reasonable laws regarding their sale."

🇺🇸 Just a few days left until President Trump speaks at NRA's Annual Meeting for the 6th time!

Hear from Trump this Friday, May 27, 2PM in Houston, TX!

Visit https://t.co/76lbF2FHBr for more info!

pic.twitter.com/HmKCshDwKn

— NRA (@NRA) May 24, 2022

Strong lobby

Ovaldi, 280 miles from Houston, Texas, hosts from May 27-29 the annual conference of the National Rifle Association (NRA) (NRA), a gathering of American firearms companies with overwhelming influence in Republican and conservative circles, and even Among some Democrats.

The latest incident took place two days before the start of the most important conference of arms companies, which is expected to witness the participation of Texas Governor Greg Abbott and state senator Ted Cruz, in addition to former President Donald Trump.

According to the association's website, Trump will lead the participation of "a group of stars with heavy political weight."

Hours before the Texas incident, the association called on its members to participate in its annual conference, and said in a statement, attached to a photo of Trump, "NRA members are excited to hear him speak, and thank him for supporting our right to keep and bear guns."

The association tweeted on Monday, "There are only a few days left for President Trump to speak at the annual meeting and for the sixth time, listen to Trump on Friday, May 27 at 2 pm in Houston, Texas...."


The renewal of the dispute and the absence of any prospect for a solution

The United States counted more than 43,000 people killed by firearms in 2002, according to FBI data, and Republican and Democratic officials differ on the cause of mass killings, while conservatives blame the mental illnesses and mental disorders of the attackers or as evil people, and Democrats consider the easy access to Firearms are the main reason for the high number of homicides.

With Democrats' attempts to restrict gun purchase rights, the US Supreme Court issued decisions in 2008 and 2010 confirming that Article Two of the Constitution protects an individual's right to own a firearm without being a military person or associated with the military.

With sharp polarization in the two houses of Congress and conservative control among Supreme Court judges, the American debate does not hold any rays of hope in restricting the right to purchase firearms.

Security forces near the site of the mass killing at Robb School in Ovaldi, Texas (Reuters)

An American constitutional dilemma

The US Constitution approved the law on the possession of guns as a right of citizens, to make the United States the only industrialized country in the world that allows its citizens to carry weapons in the streets, which is rooted in American culture.

In its second article of the Bill of Rights, the constitution supports the right to purchase and bear arms, as it affirms that it is a natural right of the citizen, and the second article protects the right of the individual to own a weapon for legitimate purposes such as self-defense inside the home or practicing the hobby of hunting.

US laws do not prohibit the purchase of weapons, up to semi-automatic rifles, and the quantity and type of ammunition and bullets allowed to be purchased or stored are regulated at the state level, separately.

The Supreme Constitutional Court held that individuals had the right to have firearms in their homes, but it left the states responsible for regulating the process of owning and carrying them.

The main historical impetus for supporting this law at the time of its enactment at the end of the 18th century was due to intense concern about the tyranny of the government, especially after the end of the American Civil War.

US law states that a legal purchase of a gun requires an FBI investigation of the buyer's criminal record data.

Laws related to the sale of guns differ from one US state to another. In a state like Texas, an individual can carry a gun without a license because the law allows him to do so.

Despite this, there are many ways to circumvent these procedures, as weapons and ammunition can be purchased through the Internet, which is a huge market at low prices, in addition to the spread of arms smuggling across the Mexican border.