US attack: Stand up to the gun lobby

The murder of 19 children by an 18-year-old gunman in a Texas elementary school brings America’s puzzling aversion to gun control to the fore again, along with the disappointing reality that with midterm elections coming up, little is likely to change legislatively, especially in gun-friendly states such as Texas. The rampage at Robb Elementary School was the worst school shooting in the United States (US) since a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, in 2012. Reports said that it was the eighth mass shooting this year.

It is widely known that the US has more registered firearms than citizens, and its per capita ownership of guns is not only the highest in the world, but outstrips that in conflict regions such as Yemen. And yet, perceptions about gun control have largely remained the same, surveys indicate, and support for stricter gun control is sharply partisan, making any legislative movement difficult. Scientists have linked gun violence to a number of factors, including financial stress, social isolation and deteriorating mental health. While these are important factors, there can be no meaningful crackdown on gun violence without legislative change. For this, lawmakers have to counter the influence of powerful groups such as the National Rifle Association and a section of Republicans who have blocked any attempts to tighten gun checks. Hours after the shooting in Texas on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden appeared ready for a fight, when he asked in his address, “As a nation we have to ask, when in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby?” The whole world is waiting for an answer.