'Discounted' gun control bill fails to curb U.S. gun violence

Special: Commentary

(ECNS) -- U.S. media reported that more than 10 people were shot and several died in nearly a dozen gun-related incidents across New York City over the last weekend.

Amid increasing calls for a ban, the frequency of violent incidents has proven the limited effectiveness of the gun control bill signed into law by President Joe Biden in late June.

U.S. media and politicians both bragged the bill is "a breakthrough" while Biden said it would help "save lives," but it has failed to curb gun violence and related concerns.

Data from Gun Violence Archive shows related violence remains frequent a month after the gun control bill came into force. The latest data recorded over 60 mass shootings in August in the U.S.

The result is not unexpected, with the so-called gun control bill neither banning the sale of large-capacity ammunition feeding devices, nor raising the age for buying a semiautomatic rifle to 21 nationwide under Republican pressure.

This bill fails to address the root of gun violence, serving as a mere perfunctory gesture made by American politicians to appease public grievance. As for Biden, the bill could help the Democratic Party win more support from voters during mid-term elections in November.

Compared with the gun control bill, those protecting guns in the country seem easier to pass. For example, on June 23, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the New York handgun law that placed strict restrictions on firearms outside the home, while on Aug. 25, a federal judge ruled that a Texas law banning people aged 18 to 20 from carrying handguns in public is unconstitutional.

U.S. gun owners possess 393.3 million weapons, according to a 2018 report by Small Arms Survey, a Geneva-based organization, which exceeds the country’s population of about 330 million.

The gun trade further indicates the close connection between interest groups and politicians, opposition between parties, and social crises including extremism and racism.

The U.S. must root out the stubborn disease of gun violence from within, or its civilians will only be mired in fear, forcing many to invest in more arms. Such a vicious circle will only make ordinary citizens pay a higher price.