On March 15th, 2019, fifty Muslim worshippers were brutally killed and 50 others injured by a heavy gunman who stormed two mosques In Christchurch, New Zealand. This was the worst mass shooting in the country's history. 

According to the Washington Post, there are 276 gun homicides, 439 gun suicides, and roughly 1,200 incidences of gun violence in America per week and since 1990, there have been over 120 mass shootings in the United States. Also, Americans are 10 times more likely than citizens in other developed countries to be killed by guns. What is the reason for this? Many people are claiming that it is due to America's lax gun restrictions because, in America, semi-automatic assault weapons, military-style caliber rifles, handguns, and large-capacity magazines are all legal under federal law.

The right of Americans to keep and bear weapons is guaranteed under the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. Even after awful massacres like the one in 2012 in which a guy armed with powerful assault weapons killed 26 people, including 20 innocent 6 and 7-year-old children, Americans are exceedingly hesitant to approve any changes to their gun regulations. Although this brutal act led to a national discussion on gun laws, the bill to ban semi-automatic assault weapons was defeated in the Senate. This is what always happens in the U.S. whenever there is a mass shooting. As Patricia Smith explains, “Each time, a familiar script [plays] out: horror at the death toll, calls for action in response, and ultimately legislative gridlock.” No major reform is ever made to the country's permissive gun laws.

It is past time for the US to take the next logical step and tighten gun legislation. "Thoughts and prayers are not enough," said Peter McKenzie of New Zealand. Gun [legislation] must be changed tangibly."

구교현 강남포스트 학생기자  webmaster@ignnews.kr

<저작권자 © 강남포스트, 무단 전재 및 재배포 금지>