The mass shooting in Las Vegas has re-ignited gun control debate in the US (note that technically ‘gun’ is not an apt description), but as has happened many times before , it is likely to change little if anything.
Defenders of the ownership of firearms has already begun – see the vacuous Tammy Bruce: Why gun control won’t end mass murder
Statistics are being re-published, like How US gun culture compares with the world in 5 charts
- Americans own nearly half (48%) of the estimated 650m civilian owned guns worldwide.
- Americans own more guns per capita than residents of any other country
- The US makes up less than 5% of the world’s population, but holds 31% of global mass shooters.
- Gun homicide rates are 25.2 times higher in the US than in other high income countries.
- Worldwide, the countries with the highest gun-homicide rates are in Central and South America.
More from Vox: Gun violence in America, explained in 17 maps and charts
America is an exceptional country when it comes to guns. It’s one of the few countries in which the right to bear arms is constitutionally protected. But America’s relationship with guns is unique in another crucial way: Among developed nations, the US is far and away the most violent — in large part due to the easy access many Americans have to firearms.
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America has six times as many firearm homicides as Canada, and nearly 16 times as many as Germany
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America has 4.4 percent of the world’s population, but almost half of the civilian-owned guns around the world
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There have been more than 1,500 mass shootings since Sandy Hook
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On average, there is more than one mass shooting for each day in America
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States with more guns have more gun deaths
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It’s not just the US: Developed countries with more guns also have more gun deaths
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States with tighter gun control laws have fewer gun-related deaths
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Still, gun homicides (like all homicides) have declined over the past couple decades
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Most gun deaths are suicides
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The states with the most guns report the most suicides
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Guns allow people to kill themselves much more easily
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Programs that limit access to guns have decreased suicides
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Since the shooting of Michael Brown, police have killed at least 2,900 people
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In states with more guns, more police officers are also killed on duty
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Support for gun ownership has sharply increased since the early ’90s
The NRA is a very strong lobby group that donates a lot of funds to politicians. The chances of significant controls on the ownership and use of firearms in the US seems slim, unless Donald Trump decides to do something worthwhile about it.
One claim that keeps coming up is that the more good people who have guns, the greater the chance of stopping bad people with guns from killing.
It took armed police about 70 minutes to locate and stop the Las Vegas killer.
Things are unlikely to change much if at all.
BBC: Las Vegas shooting: Five reasons US gun control won’t happen
The NRA
The National Rifle Association is one of the most influential interest groups in US politics – not just because of the money it spends on lobbying politicians, but also because of the engagement of its 5 million members.
In 2016 the NRA spent $4m on lobbying and direct contributions to politicians as well as more than $50m on political advocacy, including an estimated $30m to help elect Donald Trump president.
Gerrymandering
Most recent attempts to pass new federal laws regulating firearms are over before they ever really begin, stymied in the US House of Representatives, which has been in Republican hands since 2011.
Due to the way the lines of House congressional districts are drawn, many by Republican-controlled state legislatures, there are more “safe” seats for Republicans than there are for Democrats.
In these congressional districts, the politicians are more responsive to their primary voters, who tend to be motivated by hot-button issues like gun rights. The price for crossing these voters is much higher than alienating those who, while perhaps more in favour of gun control, do not vote in Republican primaries.
The filibuster
If a gun-control bill were to make it out of the House of Representatives, it would still face a challenge in the Senate, where the rural-urban divide plays itself out on the state level, as well. States dominated by big-city voters, such as New York, Massachusetts or California, are outnumbered by rural and Southern states with pro-gun sentiments.
The rules of the Senate can also thwart efforts to enact more stringent firearm regulation, thanks to the “filibuster” – a procedural hurdle that means most major pieces of legislation need the backing of 60 out of 100 senators to pass, rather than a simple 51-vote majority.
The courts
With Congress more interested in rolling back existing firearm regulations than implementing new ones, left-leaning US states have taken a greater role in implementing gun-control measures.
After the 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, 21 states passed new gun laws, including imposing assault weapons bans in Connecticut, Maryland and New York.
Some of the laws have run up against another barrier, however – the US judicial system. In recent years the Supreme Court has twice ruled that the right to own personal weapons such as handguns is enshrined in the constitution.
Could it change? Trump-appointed Justice Neil Gorsuch has made it clear he views Second Amendment rights broadly. The president is filling out the ranks of the lower courts with pro-gun-rights judges. If anything, the judiciary is moving to the right on this issue.
The enthusiasm gap
Perhaps the single biggest obstacle to new gun-control laws at the national level is that opponents tend to hold fiercely to their beliefs, while support for new regulation tends to ebb and flow around each new instance of violence.
The NRA’s strategy, and that of pro-gun politicians, is to wait out the storm – to delay legislative efforts until attention turns elsewhere and the outcry fades.
Pro-gun politicians offer their thoughts and prayers, observe moments of silence and order flags flown half-staff. Then, in the quiet, legislative efforts are deferred and ultimately derailed.
God is probably nearly as influential as the NRA in the US.
Fox News: Lee Brice performed at Las Vegas shooting venue: ‘I believe God has a plan’
“I have faith that God has a plan and that he will prevail. That this kind of a terrorism, which I believe that it is. What kind of terrorism it is, I don’t care. It’s just a fact that somebody is trying to make a point to scare people, country music fans, innocent people to stop doing what they want to do.”
President Donald Trump delivered a statement before the nation on Monday, expressing horror over the Las Vegas shooting on Sunday that claimed more than 50 lives and left hundreds injured.
The commander-in-chief prayed for healing for the victims, their families and the nation at large. He also expressed sadness, shock and grief over the tragic events, saying that the shooter — whom police identified as Stephen Paddock, a 64-year-old male from Mequite, Nevada — “brutally murdered more than 50 people and wounded hundreds more.”
In addition to praising first responders for their quick response — one that he said was “miraculous” in nature — Trump repeatedly invoked God and faith throughout the short address.
“We cannot fathom their pain, we cannot imagine their loss. To the families of the victims, we are praying for you and we … ask God to help see you through this very dark period. Scripture teaches us the Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
“In times such of these, I know we are searching for some kind of meaning in the chaos, some kind of light in the darkness. The answers don’t come easy.”