Gun violence in the US has killed at least 18,823 people in 2022 and 45,010 people last year. The spike in the gun violence like homicides, suicides and mass shootings by teenagers in the country is alarming. Still, the US firearms law allows Americans to buy guns and semi-automatic assault style rifles and keep them in residence legally.
It’s baffling that the US administration is keeping mysterious silence over the deaths due to gun violence although it knows that the existing gun laws are detrimental to the very existence of the country. Records show that 246 mass shootings have occurred so far in 2022 and 692 mass shootings happened in 2021 in the US. It is shuddering.
In fact, what these figures reveal is that firearms have become one of the leading causes of deaths in the US and it’s also the leading cause of death of children below the age of 18. Demanding legal measures from the Biden government to rein in the incidents of gun violence in various states, thousands of people took out a second March for Our Lives in all cities in the country on June 11 in the wake of the recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde.
Addressing the protesters at the rally in the city, Columbia district Muriel Bowser said: “I speak as a mayor and a mom. I speak for millions of Americans and America's mayors who are demanding that Congress do its job. And its job is to protect us, to protect our children from gun violence.”
In Buffalo, Western New York, a teenage white man opened fire at a supermarket, killing 10 people and injuring three others, almost all of them Black. In Uvalde, Texas, a teenage gunman entered Robb Elementary School and fired indiscriminately, killing 19 students and two teachers. In both cases, the shooters had purchased semi-automatic assault style rifles from small gun stores.
While the motive behind the massacre in Uvalde is still unknown, the motive for the Buffalo attack appears clear. It was influenced by the so-called great replacement theory that inspires attacks on minorities and immigrants.
The back-to-back mass shootings this year have sparked a debate on the Second Amendment to the US Constitution that gives Americans the right to bear arms.
The debate on whether the US needs stricter gun laws to control mass shootings looks absurd because many Americans think guns are sacred and a symbol of freedom and lots of others keep guns for protection and hunting. For instance, in Texas where the mass shooting happened in a school on May 24, an estimated 37 percent of the population owns firearms and there are more than 8,000 gun dealers.
The people, including the lawmakers, are divided on policies that let gun ownership. Many argue that broadly armed public would serve as a deterrent to violence and more gun ownership help increase individual safety while the opposite is gun- homicide rates are higher in states with more permissive policies. According to a rough estimate, chances of mass shootings in states with more gun ownership have increased 53percent.
Many have a strong feeling that neither the police officers nor friends come to their rescue in time and the government is not capable of keeping them safe. Whereas, people talk about guns which they rely on. They decide to defend on their own and the feeling that nothing will help is getting stronger. It is fundamentally a wrong notion among the people that tends to lead to more violence at home and in the public.
A Pew Research Centre survey conducted in June 2021 show four in ten US adults live in a household with a gun and 30 percent of adults personally own guns. To a query on whether legal changes would lead 
fewer mass shootings in the US, about half of adults responded saying that there would be fewer mass shootings if it was harder for people to obtain guns legally while about as many said this would make no difference.
The public as well as Democrats and Republicans are split over the effects of gun ownership on crime overall. Around 34 percent say if more people own guns, there will be more crime. Almost the same percentage say there will be no difference in crime while 31 percent expect crimes would come down.
Both Democrats and Republicans are yet to come out with a clear stand on the present gun laws. However, both the parties are in favour of two policies that would restrict gun access: preventing those with mental illnesses from purchasing guns and subjecting private gun sales and gun show sales to background checks. They also oppose allowing people to carry concealed firearms without a permit.
Unfortunately, the reality in the US is any mentally or emotionally troubled person can walk into a gun shop and buy a gun. There has been a big movement in some states recently to enact red-flag laws. Under the law, the people who have been troubled and seeking to buy a gun can be listed and prevented.
Gun laws and regulations also vary from state to state. Some states have more restrictive laws but some allow much greater firearm ownership for protection and hunting. Apparently, more legal measures restricting individuals from possessing firearms are the only remedy for the growing menace.
BY: KS Rajagopal
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