Will Trump Assassination Attempt Lead To Stricter Gun Control? – OpEd
America was formed from the violence of settlements to independence to nationhood. The US has used force to build its institutions. Americans have always owned guns and used them to project strength and vigour at home and abroad taking us back to the gun-slinging cowboys of the west Texas.. “Militarism is the US National Religion, believing in wars. We may no longer believe in formal declarations of war…We believe in weaponry, the more expensive the better.”
Gun control has been a topic of national debate in the US for decades and there have been numerous calls for stricter gun laws. However, little has been done to address the root causes of gun violence. Tragic incidents at public places like malls, schools, hospitals have instilled fear in the hearts of Americans. Safety in America is a matter of grave concern.
In the US in 2021 according to the available statistics from the Pew Research Center, 48,830 people died from gun-related injuries alone. Mass shootings are a common feature of the American gun culture taking place especially in schools. Since 2019 mass shootings are on the increase from 417 incidents to 610 in 2020,690 in 2021,647 in 2022 and around 600 in 2023. There were 44,310 such deaths in 2022 and at least 35,275 people have died from gun violence so far which is difficult to believe but is a fact. Even if the US had participated in the Ukraine and Gaza wars, it is unimaginable that such a high number of casualties would have taken place.
From 1998 to 2020, pro-gun groups paid $171.9m in lobbying to directly affect legislation, according to Open Secrets, a non-profit that tracks spending in US politics. Since 1998, the National Rifle Association (NRA) alone paid $63,857,564 in that category. Trump repeatedly promised to support gun rights, in 2017 telling the NRA I will never, ever let you down.” Politicians have promoted this violent tendency in American society. Political candidates and elected officials frequently call their adversaries “traitors” and “threats to America.” In 2016 then-candidate Donald Trump advocated violence against his opponent, Hillary Clinton.
So, will the Trump shooting, where he was injured, lead to stricter Gun Control? Donald Trump would not like to do it as he himself and the Republicans support the NRA, and he would like to project himself a hero against such attacks. He would not like to take a U-Turn on his earlier stand. The incident underlines the grim reality that gun violence can strike at the very heart of the democracy. the Biden Administration should take the advantage of the situation and come up with stricter Gun Control laws before the elections.
The US Constitution establishes ‘The right of the people to keep and bear arms. The US is the number ‘One’ consumer, exporter and perpetrator of violent conflicts in the world. America is a nation that makes a living through defense contract profits, weapons manufacturing through profit-driven military industrial complex and endless wars. The ongoing Ukraine-Russia war and the latest being Israel-Hamas conflict are the recent examples.
America spends more on war than the combined military budgets of China, Russia, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Saudi Arabia, India, Germany, Italy and Brazil. America polices the globe with 800 military bases and troops stationed in countries all over the world.
The so-called gun lobby supports candidates who have pledged opposition to gun control measures. It includes direct contributions to legislators, efforts to independently support elected officials, and campaigns to sway public opinion on issues related to firearms. These lobbies have close ties with the multi-billion-dollar firearms industry in the US. The NRA remains the most powerful gun lobby in the US, with a substantial budget to influence members of Congress on gun policy. The NRA held its 2023 annual meeting in Indianapolis on 14 April, with former US President Donald Trump addressing the delegates.
This is a godsend opportunity for President Biden and the Democrats to go in for stricter timely Gun Control laws to have an upper hand on the American voter during the elections which are barely three months away. Also to stop the practice of legislators to be supported by the gun lobby, Biden needs to stand up to gun lobby and modify ‘The right of the people to keep and bear arms’ which have been enshrined in the US Constitution with some stringent laws as US has lenient gun control laws. Firearms in the US can be purchased easily with ammunition available through vending machines!
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