City where the firearms laws are far from strict

AMERICA is deeply divided over gun control, with millions arguing it is their right to bear arms.

The Second Amendment to the US Constitution states “...the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”.

Yet a string of massacres has led to calls for the Constitution to be amended so atrocities such as Sandy Hook, Columbine and San Bernardino cannot be repeated.

The US, which has less than five per cent of the global population, has up to 50 per cent of the world’s civilian-owned guns. It also has the highest homicide-by-firearm rate among the most developed nations.

Sunday’s attack was the 273rd mass shooting in the country this year, according to Gun Violence Archive, which tracks incidents and crimes involving guns in the US. A mass shooting is defined as four or more people being shot at the same time or location.

Federal law sets the minimum standards for firearm regulation, but individual states have their own laws and it is legal to openly carry firearms in some.

Las Vegas lies within Nevada, which has some of the least stringent gun laws. Residents are allowed to carry weapons without registering as a gun owner.

The state does not ban assault weapons, semi-automatic or automatic firearms and there are no limits on buying ammunition.

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian said on National Gun Violence Awareness Day this year: “In almost 20 years, our country has made very little progress in enacting laws that would help protect innocent Americans from people who should not have access to firearms.

“President Trump actually signed a bill revoking a regulation recommended by President Obama that would have added 75,000 names of people with registered mental illnesses to a national background-check database. This is crazy.”