— This is the script of CNBC's news report for China's CCTV on August 5, 2019, Monday.
If you're shocked by the numbers of two mass shootings in less than 24 hours, you might be surprised to see more data about shooting crime.
In the US, 310 people are shot every day, and 100 of them die. From the interactive map, we can see that gun crime is almost all over America. In just over 200 days since the start of 2019, there have been 33,127 gun incidents and 8,759 deaths in the United States, including 254 mass shootings, according to data from the gun violence archive, a statistical agency. Cut that time to 72 hours, and the number of gun cases is still staggering.
During the nine years in the United States, I have witnessed the increasingly frequent gun crimes in the United States, and reported a number of shootings on the spot, including the 2017 Las Vegas shooting massacre. Now the call to strengthen gun control in the United States is increasing. In April, after California's new gun-control governor took office, the state legislature approved a ban on gun shows that have been on display for more than three decades at the cow house in northern California. However, it also caused a lot of controversy, which can reflect the complexity and difficulty of pushing forward the issue of gun control in the United States.
First, Americans have always had special gun rights, and the right to keep and bear arms is protected by the second amendment. Many Americans do not believe that more gun control will effectively prevent more gun crimes. Surveys show that more than half of Americans do not believe that more gun ownership will directly lead to more crimes. In fact, there are many mass shooting attackers in the United States who obtained their guns through legal channels. On the other hand, guns have a large market in the United States, and the economic benefits are considerable. U.S. gun sales could top $17.4 billion this year, according to industry figures. Last year, the gun and ammunition industry contributed more than $52 billion to U.S. economy.
The national rifle association (NRA), a prominent gun-owning group, also wields enormous political influence in the United States with huge economic interests, and President Trump has been endorsed by the NRA.
So in the aftermath of the shooting, there were also caricatures depicting Trump's first defense of the NRA, not the American people. Against such a complex background, the widening gap between the rich and the poor, as well as the aggravation of racial issues and social hatred in the United States, all make gun crimes become the outlet of increasingly intensified social conflicts.
Overall, Democrats are more positive on gun control, while republicans are more supportive of gun ownership. But the Democrats have also paid a heavy political price for promoting gun control. The democratic-controlled congress immediately lost its majorities in the house and senate after pushing bills to tighten gun control in1993 and 1994. Therefore, it is difficult to further promote gun control in the United States under the current republican government.
Now, the next US presidential election is approaching, and after the shooting, Trump immediately becomes the target of criticism from both the democratic campaign and the opposition camp. Under great pressure, we need to wait and see whether trump may break away from the NRA again.
After two shootings in a row, Trump said more work might be needed on gun control. But judging by the current stock charts of major U.S. gun-related companies, it's hard to believe that will translate into concrete action.