Congress passed a gun bill in 2022, but it was a very weak and ineffectual bill -- and had very little effect on the gun violence that plagues the United States. In 2022, there were 44,148 deaths by gun in this country. And there were 646 mass shootings (a shooting in which at least four people were shot).
Both of those numbers were less than in 2021 -- but only slightly less. And both numbers were still far to high. The country averaged about 121 gun deaths per day, and about 1.77 mass shootings per day. That is certainly no reason to celebrate!
There is no excuse for allowing this to continue. No other developed nation even comes close to those numbers -- and most third world nations don't either. That's because other nations have sensible gun laws. They don't let dangerous people have guns.
Right-wing Republicans whine that sensible gun laws would be a violation of the Constitution's Second Amendment, and that supporters of stricter gun laws want to take guns away from Americans. Both of those claims are lies! They are just excuses to protect the profits of gun manufacturers (and the campaign donations those manufacturers send to GOP politicians).
There are two sensible things Congress could do -- and both are constitutional. Both are also supported by a substantial majority of Americans. Congress could plug the loopholes in the national background check law for anyone wanting to purchase a gun or for anyone to receive a gun as a gift. Congress could also ban the sale (and possession) of assault-style weapons. These are weapons of war designed to kill as many people as possible in a short time. They are not appropriate for either hunting or self-defense.
Unfortunately, Republicans took control of the House in the last election, and have enough votes to filibuster any gun laws in the Senate. That means the carnage will continue for at least two more years!
Is this really what we want? If not, the gun-lovers must be booted out of Congress in 2024.
Some sensible gun laws would not prevent very gun death in the country. But they would save thousands of innocent lives each year.
NOTE -- the numbers in the charts above are from the Gun Violence Archive.
