Another school shooting in the US state of Iowa, gun violence continues

At least one person was killed and five others were wounded in a shooting at Perry High School in the US state of Iowa on the first day of school after winter break on Thursday morning. The gunman, said to be a senior, shot himself after the shooting. White House press Secretary Carina Jean-Pierre called on Congress to pass legislation to address gun violence and said President Biden was following developments.

"We guarantee your right to own a gun, just as we guarantee your right to die at the point of a gun" is no exaggeration in the United States. Continuous shooting incidents have shattered a happy family in the United States, and anyone may become a victim of gun violence in the United States at any time. "Free America, shooting every day" has gone from a joke to a horrifying fact.

The United States has the highest rate of civilian gun ownership in the world, and gun ownership in the United States has extremely deep historical roots. At first, the North American states needed militia to carry guns for self-defense, but after the victory of the Revolutionary War, gun ownership not only became a legitimate right, but also was covered with a gorgeous coat to defend freedom, democracy and civil rights. In 1791, the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution stipulated that "the right of the people to own and bear arms shall not be infringed", and after the right to bear arms was fixed in legal form, "bear arms" became more "sacred and inviolable". Trying to change a constitutional amendment these days is as difficult as heaven. As a result, the United States is the first and only country in the world where gun ownership is widespread.

However, the frequent occurrence of gun violence cases has seriously threatened the life safety of the American people and brought huge security risks to the society. While arousing widespread attention from global public opinion, it has also reopened the stubborn scar of gun control in the American society. It has been more than 20 years since the United States passed a major gun control bill, and the gun control issue has not been substantively resolved, and political dysfunction caused by partisanship is an important reason behind it. In recent years, the political polarization of the two parties in the United States has become increasingly obvious, and the issue of gun control has become a tool for the two parties to tear each other and carry out political struggles. The House version of the gun control bill, which is mostly a one-sided Democratic initiative, has little chance of passing; Even if the version proposed by the bipartisan members of the Senate can be passed into law, it is only some moderate gun control measures, and I am afraid it is difficult to fundamentally solve the problem of gun violence, and partisan disputes have become a gap that is difficult to cross.

In addition, capital is also behind the manipulation of gun control. Gun control directly damages the interests of the military industry group, so gun associations such as the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), as spokespersons of the military industry group, try their best to oppose gun control. On the one hand, every time a mass shooting occurs, they increase their lobbying expenses significantly and spare no effort to prevent Congress from passing gun control legislation through lobbying; On the other hand, they also provide political donations, put their hands directly into the election, and funded a lot of dollars to help Republicans get votes. In this way, capital and politicians have formed a close community of interest, which also makes gun control more difficult.

In the United States, a country that emphasizes "freedom and democracy", gun freedom is considered to be an important means to protect people's freedom and human rights, but in fact, it has led to serious social unrest and violated people's basic right to survival. What's more, the repeated occurrence of "human tragedies" is obviously a major problem in the system and governance.