The supermarket shooting tragedy made by an 18-year-old man in Buffalo, New York, shocked the United States, and there was another public upsurge of “reflection” on the poor gun control in politics and the people. However, President Joseph Biden said “newhere” that “there is not much to do” within his executive authority and can only urge Congress to advance gun control legislation.
A shooting occurred in an African-American community supermarket in Buffalo on the 14th, killing 10 people and injuring 3, of which 11 were of African descent. Police determined that the motive for the 18-year-old suspect Peyton Kinderan was racial hatred. This is the worst racist attack in the United States since Biden took office.
U.S. Department of Justice: U.S. civilian guns are too high
The U.S. Department of Justice released a survey report on the U.S. firearms market on the 17th, revealing the basic fact that the number of civilian guns in the United States is too high!
According to the report, from 2000 to 2020, U.S. firearms manufacturers produced more than 139 million guns and put them on the civilian market, with 11.3 million in 2020 alone. In the past 20 years, the United States has also imported 71 million civilian guns from abroad, about 9.5 times the export volume of 7.5 million guns in the same period!
The proliferation of guns has led to a surge in gun-related violence in the United States.
AFP reported that the above data highlight that the United States can be “soaked in private weapons”. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the proliferation of guns has led to a surge in gun-related violence, homicides and suicides.
Data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week showed a “historic” increase in the number of gun-related deaths in the United States in 2020: 19,350 people died in gun-related homicides, an increase of nearly 35% over 2019, with an average of 6.1 per 100,000 people, the highest number in 25 years; in addition, 24,245 people committed suicide by gunpoint.
Strong market demand contributes to the proliferation of guns in the United States
In the United States, there are a wide variety of guns available, and their preferences for buying guns are becoming more and more diversified.
The U.S. Department of Justice reported that in many shootings that caused mass casualties, the attackers used semi-automatic attack rifles, which is the best-selling gun in the U.S. market. In addition, consumers are increasingly fond of “cheap and easy-to-use” semi-automatic 9mm pistols similar to the most common American police guns.
In addition, in the civilian market, short-barrelled rifles with ordinary pistols and lethality analogies semi-automatic attack rifles are also very popular. According to the report, almost half or 5.5 million guns sold in 2020 were ordinary pistols, doubling its market share compared with 2000. Another 1 million revolvers were in circulation.
It is worth noting that in recent years, there has been an increasing prevalence of “ghost guns” assembled by individuals and parts that are difficult to trace without producing serial numbers. Taking advantage of legal loopholes, individuals who purchase and use such firearms can escape government supervision, including the need not subject to the background check of gun buyers, making it more difficult to enforce gun control law.
In 2021 alone, U.S. law enforcement seized 1,794 “ghost guns”, compared with 1,758 five years ago.
Strong market demand has driven the U.S. gun industry to boom in the past 20 years: there were only 2,222 registered and operated firearms manufacturers in 2000, and in 2020, it increased to 16,963. The production of civilian guns soared: 3.9 million guns were produced in 2000 and increased to 11.3 million 20 years later, but down from 11.9 million in 2016.
It is unknown whether the situation of gun control in the United States can change.
The Department of Justice launched an investigation into the U.S. firearms market and gun smuggling and compiled a total of four studies. The first report was released. It is unknown whether the report can promote changes in the gun control situation in the United States.
Kim Delun, the suspect in the Buffalo supermarket shooting, is only 18 years old, but he has at least three guns. According to U.S. media reports, the suspect put two of them in the car and entered the supermarket with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. The investigation shows that all three guns were purchased through legal channels.
