Stop shooting, start signing

US President Joe Biden kicked off Fourth of July celebrations with hope and calls to 'celebrate the goodness of our nation.' By the end of the celebratory weekend, 220 were dead. With the death toll increasing day by day, the world is calling on Biden to bring in harsher and stricter gun laws.

Credit: BBC News.

By: Derry Salter.

On the day of American independence, a gunman opened fire on a crowd of parade spectators in Chicago; seven died, leaving dozens injured. According to Gun Violence Archive, shootings were reported in nearly ever US state across the weekend, with 570 left wounded. Only five states did not report a shooting from July 1 to July 4. Acts labelled ‘mass shootings’ are classified where four or more people are killed or wounded by gunshots; in the space of four days, there were 11 mass shootings. These shocking attacks continue to ring out across the US; children attending celebrations are coming home orphans.

The Fourth of July weekend horror is not new; just the year before, 180 were killed in mass shootings. Mass shootings in the US account for a mere fraction of the daily firearm death toll, with 124 people dying every day from other acts of gun violence. Between 2017 and 2021, mass shooters killed 299 people with injuries quintupling. Since 2022 began, there have been 315 mass shootings and roughly 22,500 deaths.

In the US, there are 1.2 guns for every person – not just adults, but children and babies. Homing just around 4% of the world’s population, the US accounts for nearly half of the civilian owned guns worldwide. Guns are ridiculously accessible and can simply be ordered with a click of a button. Next-day delivery.

Since 1791, the American constitution has allowed US citizens to buy and own guns; with exceptions for convicted criminals and those who have a mental illness as well as rules varying from state to state. Despite such restrictions, there has been a steep rise in the labelling of mass-shooters as ‘mentally ill’, either reflecting a large flaw in the gun laws or a simple shifting of the blame. Interestingly, only 5% of mass shooters suffer from a mental illness. The lack of gun control in the US is not taken seriously. Everything but a lack of legislation appears to be to blame.

What is taking the US so long to respond? Why have the numerous Presidents failed to implement any gun regulations? Why are some citizens so adamant on allowing this danger to remain at large? In the UK, the British public demanded action after the Dunblane school shooting of 1996. The government swiftly stepped in with strict gun control laws. The country has suffered one mass shooting since.

Last month, President Biden signed the most promising gun safety measure in decades – however, the new law does not include a ban on assault weapons. As body counts piled up, the Senate were hesitant to vote on any gun measures until last month when the bill came into place after the mass shooting at Texas primary school

The newly passed gun control bill imposes tougher checks on young buyers and encourages states to remove guns off those considered dangerous. The bill is giving £12.2 billion in federal funding for mental health programs and school security upgrades in a bid to combat a scary trend in school shootings.

Biden continues to push for bigger reforms including a ban on assault weapons or even an age increase to purchase such weapons. However, it appears to be one step forward and two steps back, with the Supreme Court quickly eliminating a New York law restricting who can carry a gun, consequently expanding gun rights even further.

The world is on edge as it waits for President Biden’s response, not just a mere half-hearted apology from Congress. The US needs a change in gun laws and it needs it quickly before the death toll continues to climb.