Gun Violence: The American Epidemic 

America evokes images of freedom, liberty, and equality. Unfortunately, the American dream is slowly being murdered by the country’s latest epidemic, gun violence.

A national poll reveals that 1 in 5 Americans have encountered gun violence, whether it’s by having a family member who has been a victim of homicide or by witnessing someone being shot. There have been 146 mass shootings in the U.S. in 2023 alone, and we’re not even halfway through the year. As a result, gun violence is the leading cause of premature death in the U.S.

The U.S. Gun Laws Under Fire

These staggering statistics hold the country’s loose gun laws accountable. The U.S. gun policy is rooted in the constitution’s second amendment, which states, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Compared to the rest of the world, gun laws in the U.S. are a cause for concern. America constitutes less than 5% of the world’s population, yet it constitutes nearly half of the civilian-owned guns in the world.

Right to Bear Arms: Freedom or Fear?

3 in 10 American adults own guns. Most U.S. adults believe ownership of arms is their right to freedom. The American Constitution upholds this right, perpetuating that ‘the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.’

Hence, the American right to own firearms has become synonymous with freedom. However, in recent times, the rapid rise in mass shootings claiming innocent lives over the country has raised concerns over lenient gun laws. Other countries have stricter rules limiting gun use, resulting in fewer gun-related fatalities and injuries.

Even more concerning is that a whopping 72% of Americans have fired a gun at least once in their lives. For most gun owners, one firearm isn’t enough. While 32% of people own one firearm, nearly double, i.e., 66%, have more than one gun. Alarmingly enough, 4 out of 10 gun owners have their firearms loaded at any given point at home.

In light of this, does the right to own guns promote more fear or freedom?

U.S. Mass Shootings in the Past Ten Years

Proponents of stricter gun laws claim it is the antithesis of life and freedom. In their view, guns are instruments of death that are more likely to threaten the fundamental right to exist.

America is no stranger to mass shootings, but nothing seems to change. There was a significant rise in gun purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Amnesty International cites easy access to guns, legal or illegal, as the prime reason behind rampant gun violence in the West.

While the loss of any life is devastating, the deadliest U.S shootings include:

• Route 91 Harvest music festival shooting in Las Vegas, 2017, killing 66 people and injuring 850

• Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, 2012, killing 26 children

• Virginia Tech shooting in Blacksburg 2007, killing 32 people on campus

• Las Vegas Strip massacre in Las Vegas 2017, killing 58 people and injuring 546

• Robb Elementary school shooting in Uvalde, 2022, killing 21 and injuring 17 people

Final Thoughts

There is a dire need for American policyholders to exert stricter gun laws, even if it is at the cost of curbing ‘American freedom.’ After all, a lot is at stake with the staggering rise in the number and intensity of gun violence incidents in the country that claims to be a free space for all.

Recommendations:

• • Pass the universal background check
  • Remove AR-15 guns for recreational use.
  • Try to remove all recreational ammunition
  • Manufacturer and produce ammunition only at the Federal/State level