Former President Donald Trump was shot and injured in an assassination attempt on Saturday night that also killed a spectator and critically injured two others. Snipers killed the shooter, a 20-year-old man, after he fired eight rounds at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The failed bid on Trump’s life, who is tipped to win the upcoming presidential elections, puts the focus back on the lack of strong regulation on gun licensing in the US and the stranglehold of the gun lobby over US politics.
This issue is important as the US’ society as a whole needs to stand up to the fact that a 20-year-old gets access to a gun and even manages to shoot at the presidential candidate, who is also a former President of the United States.
Before Saturday’s attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, there have been multiple instances of political violence targeting US presidents, former presidents and major party presidential candidates.
If such a high profile personality is not safe, then how safe are the 33 crore ordinary Americans?
According to reports, more than 40,000 people are shot and killed or wounded in the United States each year, but the gun industry plays by a special set of rules that allows it to avoid responsibility and endanger public safety.
Firearms are not regulated like other consumer products. The laws regulating how guns may be sold are outdated, and members of the gun industry who skirt the law enjoy special legal protection.
Guns are not required to have safety features that are shown to reduce unintentional shootings and theft. Information is hidden from the public on which gun dealers supply firearms recovered in crime.
Gun dealers are rarely inspected or held accountable even though violations are common. Gun manufacturers and sellers that skirt the law have a unique, broad immunity from legal accountability.
Laws regulating the gun industry have not been strengthened since the 1960s and the gun lobby has been able to write special protections for itself while weakening the agencies responsible for regulating it. A gun industry that plays by its own rules has been able to fuel a gun violence crisis with no regard for the harm it causes.
Gun control is one of the most divisive issues in American politics. With each mass shooting — defined as four or more victims having been killed indiscriminately — antagonism grows between both sides of the gun control argument.
Proponents of stricter gun regulations fear for their safety in a country where there is an average of 88 guns per 100 people, according to the 2011 Small Arms Survey. But the opponents of regulatory arguments, however, also fear a loss of safety. They argue that restricting the right to bear arms would leave citizens unable to protect themselves in their daily lives or, in a worst-case scenario, from a government turned against the people.
However, the opponents to strong gun licensing should realise that our human rights are not protected if the leaders fail to tackle gun violence and gun deaths. Firearms cause devastating injuries that leave a lasting impact on mental and physical health. Some gunshot victims need intensive, lifelong care. Others may lose their ability to work.
Mass shootings and other firearm violence can disrupt children’s education and as parents may find it too dangerous to send their wards to schools. This would mean that a large section of the society may not come out of their poor socio-economic condition.
Strict gun control regime and stronger policing mechanism to prevent crimes, especially in the countryside, is the way forward for the US. But will this happen?