Another bloody shooting in the US

Police patrolled near shooting site (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

The guns used in the massacre were purchased legally. Alarms are once again being raised that gun control in the US will diminish American freedom.

50 people were killed and 53 were wounded after a killer opened fire at a crowded gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says the gunman was Omar Saddiqui Mateen, 29, born in New York. He had been questioned by FBI twice in 2013 and 2014.

Gun control loophole

In December 2012, a shooting spree at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut left 26 dead, including 20 children. A shooting at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, in June 2015 killed 9 people. 

The  Umpqua Community College shooting in October 2015 with 10 fatalities was followed by another bloody shooting in San Bernardino, California, that left 14 dead and 17 wounded. 

In recent years, on average, 90 people a day and 32,000 people a year were killed by gun violence in the US. US mass shootings account for one third of the world’s total shooting sprees. 

The US has the largest number of guns in the world: an estimated 270 million to 310 million guns in circulation. In other words, one gun for almost every American citizen.

The FBI says the killer who carried out the latest massacre had been telling his colleagues about his support for terrorist groups since 2013.  

In 2014, the FBI investigated Omar Saddiqui Mateen’s possible links to an American who went to Syria to join an extremist group. But at that time FBI did not deem Mateen a threat. 

At that time, Mateen bought at least 2 guns legally. According to FBI, at least 8 gunmen with previous convictions or metal health problems have been able to buy guns.

The price of freedom

President Barack Obama is fully aware of the dangers posed by gun control loopholes. 

President Obama has on several occasions tearfully said, "We do not have to accept this carnage as the price of freedom," and urged tighter gun control. But during his 2 terms in office, his frustration has grown. 

The US Congress, divided on the gun control issue, has blocked the bill on gun control proposed by the Obama administration.

Analysts say a gun ban is not likely in the US any time in the near future because gun possession is a deep-rooted custom. 

Since the founding of the US, during the expansion of its territory to the West, and the expansion of its influence around the globe, Americans have always possessed lots of guns.  

Guns and Americans are inseparable. They consider gun ownership one of their most precious rights. Gun companies earn huge profits every year from gun sales and have successfully lobbied Congressional leaders to protect their interests.

Obviously, the people’s right to own arms for their own defense had a sad legacy. But sadness and regret won’t solve the problems. 

The debate over whether and how could gun violence will continue to rage in the US and could affect the upcoming Presidential election.