Avoiding Shootings in the United States?

By the end of this article in the United States, 509 massive shootings had been reported so far this year. In just nine months the figure it’s just alarming without a chance of improvement as long as there are no measures that lower the level of weapons possession.

Does anyone have the right to end human lives? None, at all. What can motivate a person to commit a crime of such magnitude? Many can be the causes: depression, revenge, frustration, failure, jealousy, mental illness. So many reasons as there are inhabitants in the world, or no reason too. How restricted are in the United States owning or manipulating a firearm? It seems that they are not very strict in terms of sales, and also some owners are just careless.

Does the state really have control on this issue? Will the government be interested? If we take into account that more than half of the Republicans are satisfied with the policies implemented by authorities, we will understand that then the answer cannot be different from no. the scenery would be different without so much indulgence, if it had not been converted, for a long time now in a very lucrative business.

But access is little limited, there’s no way to hide it when we read who are the people who use weapons, they are all kinds of people, from unstable to minors. However, we can’t blame minorities, those considered ready are the ones leading chapters of that nature. And, according to statistical reports, almost half of Americans claim to own at least one weapon or have one in their family environment.

Apparently there’s a huge lack of control, and although in many circles it’s advocated for greater efficiency, little seems to have been achieved in recent times because news are cyclical, and at every time the media refer to some gun violence event, let’s remember the cases of Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, or the first Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs in 2017, the list goes on and on.

On December 14, 2012, a massacre occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in the United States. Until today it’s considered the second most deadly school shooting in the history of that country. The event had a full balance of 28 dead, 20 of them were children.

According to the information available in the non-governmental organization Gun Violence Archive these facts increase each time, to the point of duplicating. To contextualize, in 2014, 273 shootings were registered, and last year the total was 647. As 2023 is going there’s not assurance that the index will decrease, besides, it causes thousands of dead and injured, of them a significant amount are children and adolescents, which is extremely regrettable.

Different sources agree that it has a record in terms of more massive shootings in the world. It’s not crazy, the truth is that weapons are the talisman of the United States, in that nation it’s easier to own a gun than in any other nation worldwide, nearly 300 million of those artifacts circulate and, of course, if they possess them, they use them. The numbers show that on average almost two massive shootings per day occur, that almost one in five individuals have a dead relative in similar circumstances, has been threatened or has witnessed this sort of event.

It’s not just reputation, they are not unfounded criteria, says the caked blood on the asphalt after each tragedy, the millions of crying eyes that cry for justice for their relatives and disarmament of a country that with so much power it’s totally capable of stopping this behavior with the implementation of strict laws, more supervision. An unarmed people will never have the impulse to assault, at least in that definitive manner.

The saddest thing is that they don’t move a muscle, they could, but they don't want to. Nothing else happens besides the mourning, candles and flowers, vigils, speeches, promises, all is silenced by inaction. The United States screams for political will against this generalized fear to which they respond with a entrenched position. It seems crazy, but after each violent incident , Americans react wanting or approving gun possession for protection. Contradictory, right?

If only the first world power would like to solve it.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff