By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily
Gun violence is one of the acutest social problems in the U.S.
According to the latest data by Gun Violence Archive (GVA), an American nonprofit group with an accompanying website and social media delivery platforms, 72 mass shootings have taken place in the U.S. so far this year.
Frequent shootings have seriously violated people’s right to life, leaving an indelible stain on the country’s human rights record.
The U.S. is the country with the most civilian-held firearms. In 2017, about 393.3 million guns were privately owned in the U.S., which means 120.5 firearms for every 100 people. The country ranks first in the world in terms of both individual gun ownership and the number of guns per capita.
A study reveals that the U.S. is in the midst of a massive gun-buying boom that shows no signs of abating. From 2000 to 2020, the annual production of firearms in the country almost tripled, with a dramatic increase in the past three years in particular.
According to the U.S. National Shooting Sports Foundation, the U.S. conducted 21 million background checks for gun purchases in 2020, surpassing the previous record in 2016 by 5.3 million.
Social problems such as the widening wealth gap, serious racial discrimination, as well as frequent looting and riots have aggravated social insecurity, thus leading to more purchases of guns for self-defense.
Individual ownership of a large number of guns has triggered incessant violence, putting social security in the U.S. at greater risk.
GVA statistics indicate that gun violence has already caused 44,309 deaths in the U.S. in 2022. Over the recent years, the number of mass shootings, or gun violence incidents in which four or more people are injured or killed, has been rising rapidly. According to GVA, both mass shootings and deaths in the U.S. have surged about fourfold since 2013. More than 600 mass shootings occurred in the country each year since 2020, and the number even reached 692
