Gun Control
Introduction :
Every month, the United States is saddled with new shootings. Mass shootings are killings that result
in at least four people being killed or injured. With 38 mass shootings, 197 victims, 2023 sets a new
record, deplores “The Washington Post”. This makes the US the nation with the most mass shootings
in the world.
But these mass shootings are only the visible part of the chaos generated by firearms. While mass
shootings in schools/supermarkets/churches attract more media attention, the damage caused by
firearms is much greater in homes and households. For example, the same report states that if we
were to count all firearms casualties (shootings, accidents, homicides, police, suicides, etc.) total
deaths would exceed 20,000 since January 2022.
Firearms are therefore a real scourge (fléau) in the US. It is now necessary to deal with this violence.
History of gun in the US:
What allows the carrying of the weapon in the United States today is a text that dates from the
end of the 18th century: the second amendment to the US constitution (1791)
« 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. »
The federal government has no right to impose laws that restrict this right.
Examples of mass shooting:
The Columbine massacre marked America in 1999, it is the symbol of the massacres in the United
States. It was a shooting by two kids from Columbine, Colorado who opened fire in the school.
Various explanations are plausible, including the impact of video games on youth behavior.
On February 14, 2018, 17-year-old Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people at Stoneman Douglas High
School in Parkland, Florida. Cruz had purchased an AR15 legally from a gun store, after having passed
the required background check. He was sentenced to life in prison.
The Uvalde shooting on 24 May 2022 at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, by Salvador
Ramos, an 18-year-old man. Twenty-two people were killed: nineteen children from the school. It is
"the deadliest school shooting in Texas history ".
Three structural reasons explain the persistence of this problem with firearms in the US:
- The right to access firearms is a constitutional right. It is indeed guaranteed by the Second
Amendment (ratified in 1791) which defends the right to hold and bear arms. Which makes
gun control much more difficult.
- Firearms are an integral part of American culture. In 1995, political scientist Robert Spitzer
argued that the American gun culture was rooted in the proliferation of firearms since the
nation’s earliest days. So weapons are rooted in society.
- Gun rights lobbying is much stronger than gun control. In 2017, the first amounted to 10
million dollars, while the second barely reached two million. The National Rifle Association of
America (NRA), a U.S. -based gun rights group, is a major explanatory factor.
Cyclical (conjoncturelle) reasons:
- A feeling of lawlessness resulting from police violence, crime waves often occur when social
norms collapse. This has been the case recently, especially since the death of George Floyd in
2020.
- A sense of isolation and frustration, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Covid has
fostered isolation and position-building on many issues, thus dividing our fellow citizens.
When empathy for other citizens declines, crime increases. 80% of citizens are not satisfied
with the country’s leadership during the pandemic. This has led to both skepticism about
democracy and openness to political violence.
It is therefore a social and political crisis that is at the origin of this increase in crime.
Anti-gun demonstrations and organizations:
- The Million Mom March was organized on Mother's Day in May 2000, and about 750,000
people showed up on Washington's National Mall to advocate (= pour plaider) for stricter
gun control. It was attended by politicians and celebrities ( = des politiciens et des célébrités
y ont particpé).
- The March for Our Lives was a student-led demonstration in support of tighter gun control
that took place on 24 March 2018, after the Parkland shooting. Around 1.5 million showed
up.
- THE BRADY BILL(1993) :It provides for a background check on any weapon transaction: the
person who wants to buy a gun must wait for the arm dealer to check his or her criminal
record on the computer system.
In most states, the background check: immediate and the buyer can get the gun immediately. Some
states, however, require amandatory waiting period (10 days in California)
Solutions
- Apply “buyback programs”. That is, programs to buy back the weapons currently in
circulation in the United States. This would reduce the number of firearms available and thus
facilitate their control
- The second is to check the background more effectively to solve one of the major flaws in the
US system, often called a three-day loophole (currently, anyone who wants to buy a weapon
must have their history checked within three days before they are allowed to buy it or not
but US services fail to process a file within three days, the individual can purchase the
weapon)
April 11, 2022: Joe Biden tightened the regulations for “ghost” weapons. These weapons are
dangerous because they are unregulated. They are not traceable and currently do not exist under the
law. The US government has therefore decided to crack down on handguns bought and sold without
a register. And it became one of the guidelines in Biden’s plan.
June 24, 2022: Joe Biden signs a law that finally strengthens gun control in the country. These
measures aim to strengthen the safety of schools, ensure better control over illegal arms sales, limit
access to firearms for dangerous people and finally fund psychological support programmes.
« When in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? » Joe Biden, 25 mai 2022 after the
mass shooting of d’Uvalde.