Another mass shooting has left more than 20 people dead, officials say, including at least 19 children. The country is mourning again, but will anyone act?
President Joe Biden, freshly back from Asia, gave a sombre speech, which merged the gravity of a eulogy with the outrage of a prosecution. “What struck me on that 17-hour flight was these kinds of mass shootings rarely happen anywhere else in the world…Why are we willing to live with this carnage?” he asked.
When it comes to guns, America is exceptional in three ways. Per head, it has the highest level of gun ownership in the world . It has a significantly higher share of killings with guns than countries like Britain and Canada, which have stricter controls. And unlike other countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, which have experienced mass shootings but adapted their laws in the wake of tragedy, America has refused to change its gun laws.
The lack of congressional action on gun control is its own sorry tale. After Sandy Hook, President Barack Obama gave the job of pushing through substantive gun-control legislation to his vice-president, Mr Biden. In 2013 a bill that would have introduced universal background checks on all gun sales failed in the Senate.
More action has occurred at the state level. For example, after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2018, many states passed
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Worst day of my life': Owner of 'American Bully' which fatally bit man, 62, speaks outA woman whose father in law died after being bitten by one of their dogs has said she 'can't shake' the memory of his blood on her hands and her dog's cries as it was euthanised by vets.
Read more »
Marjorie Taylor Greene tweets ‘we don’t need more gun control’ in response to UvaldeMarjorie Taylor Greene tweets ‘we don’t need more gun control’ in response to Uvalde school shooting.
Read more »
Texas school shooting: Everything we know so farTeenage gunman confirmed dead in one of Texas’s worst school shootings
Read more »
Stephen King passionately calls for ‘gun control now’ after Uvalde school shootingKing previously wrote the essay ‘Guns’ in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre
Read more »
UK weather: Relief for drenched Brits as thunderous showers to make way for weekend sunBRITS can soon breathe a sigh of relief as the current spate of thunderstorms and showers will ease to make way for some weekend sunshine.
Read more »
Matthew McConaughey leads tributes to victims of shooting in his Texas hometownMatthew McConaughey said the spate of mass shootings across America is 'an epidemic we can control' as he led tributes to the victims of the tragedy in his Texas hometown.
Read more »