US Gun Bill Passage Unlikely Despite Repeated Shooting Incidents

"Friend got blood on me, I pretended to be dead"... Survivor's 'tearful hearing'
Despite House passage, local media say "Senate approval difficult due to Republican opposition"

On the 1st (local time), students from Shea High School held a street protest in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA, to oppose the government's gun policies. The organizer, Zachary Pinto (17), said the students were frustrated, angry, and in pain over last week's elementary school shooting incident in Uvalde, Texas.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Nayeon] Despite growing calls for stricter gun control in the United States following a series of mass shooting incidents at elementary schools and other locations, related regulatory legislation is expected to fail once again.

According to major U.S. media outlets on the 11th (local time), the "Protecting Our Kids Act," a gun control bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on the 8th, is virtually certain to be rejected in the Senate.

The bill includes provisions such as raising the minimum age for purchasing assault weapons from 18 to 21. To pass in the Senate, the bill must receive at least 60 votes. However, among the 50 Republican seats, which make up half of the 100-seat Senate, very few Republican lawmakers are reported to support the bill. In fact, the bill passed the House with 223 votes in favor and 203 against, but only about 10 Republican representatives supported it.

AP News and others reported that while Democrats and Republicans are negotiating over the bill in the Senate, Republicans are unlikely to cooperate unless the compromise significantly weakens the regulations. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the 9th that negotiations were making progress but did not specify the details of the compromise.

Public opinion in the U.S. is increasingly demanding stronger gun control, and especially the business community is applying pressure.

President Biden emphasized the need for legislation on so-called "Red flag laws" via social media on the 9th. This law primarily aims to prevent individuals with mental illness or criminal records from purchasing firearms. Among various gun control bills, this one, along with expanded background checks for gun buyers, is known to have the highest public support in the U.S.

Meanwhile, according to Bloomberg News, the number of gun incidents at U.S. elementary schools in the past year has surpassed those at high schools. The news agency explained that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) analyzed data from the Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) and found that during the 2020-2021 school year, a total of 145 schools nationwide experienced gun incidents. Among these, elementary schools had the highest number of incidents, totaling 59 schools. This is the highest number since the statistics began in the 2000-2001 school year.

At a House hearing on mass shooting incidents held on the 8th, Mia Cerillo, a 4th grader at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, testified about the shooting that occurred on the 24th of last month. Cerillo said in her testimony, "I thought that person was going to come back into the classroom," and "I rubbed the blood of my dead friend next to me all over my body and then stayed still pretending to be dead."

This incident occurred at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, southern Texas, where 18-year-old Hispanic American Salvador Ramos opened fire, killing 19 students and 2 teachers. Ramos was shot dead during a gunfight with border patrol agents who responded to the scene.

Meanwhile, according to The Hill, the "Protecting Our Kids Act" includes raising the age to purchase semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, banning the sale of high-capacity magazines holding more than 15 rounds, and introducing background checks for so-called "ghost guns" assembled without serial numbers. It also bans the use of "bump stocks," devices that convert semi-automatic rifles into automatic ones. The bill also requires stricter gun storage regulations in households with minors.

While there have been laws to strengthen background checks for gun purchases in the past, this is the first time a bill with seven major amendments has been introduced.

Since the beginning of this year until the 7th, at least 256 people have died and over 1,010 have been injured in mass shooting incidents in the U.S. The Congressional Research Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) define a mass shooting as "an incident involving firearms where four or more victims are killed or injured, excluding the perpetrator."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.