Stop the Shooting

They would be in shock, but it has become so normal.

Americans have been left reeling by three mass shootings in California a matter of days apart. Newspapers are counting a grim toll: 2023 has already seen 39 acts of mass firearm violence so far in the USA.

In the first shooting on 16 January, a pair of gunmen murdered six people inside their home.

The second shooting took place in Monterey Park, LA, where an elderly shooter interrupted Lunar New Year festivities to kill 11 people before turning the gun on himself.

And on Monday, at least seven were shot dead in a small coastal community called Half Moon Bay.

Guns claim up to 45,000 lives per year in America, and recently surpassed vehicular deaths to become the leading cause of death among children.

Some think that strict nationwide gun controls could help. After a mass shooting in Australia in 1996 killed 35 people, the government implemented gun control reforms which led gun deaths to drop by more than 50% in the following 10 years.

Gun control supporters in the US suggest compulsory background checks for potential gun buyers, better regulation of unlicensed sellers and restrictions on gun sales to people convicted of hate crimes and domestic abuse.¹

But many Americans hold the right to bear arms as one of their most valued constitutional rights, and these views are not easy to shift.²

Moreover, some surveys suggest that support for stricter gun control among the American public is actually declining. A 2021 poll claimed to show the lowest levels of support since 2014.

Republican PartyAlso known as the Grand Old Party or GOP, it is one of the USA's two major political parties. Its first president was Abraham Lincoln. It sits on the right of the political spectrum. lawmakers, who control the House of RepresentativesThe lower chamber of the United States congress. There are 435 representatives, with a certain number allocated to each state based on the state's population., generally strictly oppose gun control legislation as a response to gun violence and shootings. This means that popular opinion aside, there is little chance that this CongressThe legislative branch of the American government, where elected representatives vote on which laws should be passed. Congress is made up of two chambers: the Senate, which contains two members from each of the 50 states, and the House of Representatives, which has representatives from 435 smaller districts. will get any new laws through.

Yes: America is reaching its tipping point. One country can only take so much violence. This will be the year that people rise up to make a change to the system.

No: As much as it would be nice to think so, it is just not possible. Republicans control the House of Representatives, and even if legislation got through there, it would still have to get through the SenateThe upper chamber of the Congress that - along with the US House of Representatives (lower chamber) - comprises the legislative branch of the US government. Each of the 50 US states is equally represented by two senators, regardless of its population size., which is known for blocking gun control bills.

Or... It might not happen in the next few years, but there are reasons to be optimistic for the future. Some polls show a huge majority of Americans in favour of tighter controls and younger lawmakers tend to be more pro-regulation.