Gun violence: More than just a quintessential American tragedy

HARDLY a week goes by in the United States without a new horror story about another mass shooting during which a "lone gunman" shot, maimed and killed innocent people, including children, and turning most recently pastoral American communities in Texas and California into scenes of death and destruction.

It is estimated that every day, 100 Americans are killed with guns, and hundreds more are shot and injured. Figures from various sources show that close to 40,000 people die by guns each year in America, and the US gun suicide rate is 10 times that of other high-income countries.

On one level, the horrific spectacle of gun violence is a tragic American phenomenon that has its roots in unique historical, cultural and political features that have shaped American attitudes towards gun ownership, including the Second Amendment to the US Constitution which stipulates that "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed". Studies suggest that US civilians own 393 million firearms and more than 40 per cent of American households have at least one gun. Overall, the US has the highest estimated number of guns per capita in the world, at 120.5 guns for every 100 people. The high level of gun ownership in the US and the presence of a powerful lobby led by the National Rifle Association have impeded efforts to promote gun control and to increase regulation related to ownership, despite wide public support for such measures.