Friday, 17 May, 2024
By: Anshul Vipat
This year marks the third in a row that the country has recorded more than 600 multiple-victim shootings, according to gun violence data.
In the first six months alone, there have been at least 309 mass shootings in the US
According to Gun Violence Archive (GVA) data, this was the 21th mass killing of the year and the 11th mass shooting of the holiday weekend. There were a total of 692 mass shootings in 2021, the worst year on record. 2022 is even worst for the country. In the first six months alone, there have been at least 309 mass shootings in the US. Around 10,072 people have died nationwide due to firearms -- including intentional and accidental killings but not suicides -- so far this year. As per the research group, it defines a mass shooting as a single incident involving four or more victims.
Alarming figures
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a total of 45,222 people died from gun-related injuries of all causes during 2020, the last year for which complete data is available. 54% of all gun-related deaths in the U.S. were suicides (24,292), while 43% were murders (19,384). The figure represents a 34% increase from 2019, and a 75% increase over the course of the previous decade. In 2017, some 39,773 died from gunshot injuries, an average of nearly 109 people each day. That year also saw country's worst mass shooting in a decade when 50 people were killed and over 500 wounded in Las Vegas.
In United States, the right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental right protected by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. Open carrying of firearms in public, in some form, is currently allowed in 45 states. The country also lacks measures such as a national firearm registry.
United States also has the highest firearms per 100 residents’ ratio. And the figure is increasing. According to GVA, 7.5 million US adults - just under 3 percent of the population - became first new gun owners between January 2019 and April 2021. About half of new gun owners in that time period were women while 40 percent where blacks.
After a spurt of mass shootings in recent times, Americans are forced to confront the country’s unique relationship with guns. Earlier in April 2021-- months after taking charge of the country-- US President Joe Biden had called the gun violence an "epidemic and an international embarrassment. However, statistics show that the situation has gone from bad to worse.
