Americans Stage Nationwide Rallies To Push For Stronger Gun Control Laws
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Tens of thousands of Americans across the country took to the streets on June 11, 2022, to once again push for more stringent gun control laws. The rallies come in the wake of the tragic deaths of 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, and ten shoppers at a Buffalo, New York, grocery store on June 2, 2022.
March for Our Lives, the student-led movement created by the survivors of the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, organized the demonstrations. Since the group's last nationwide protests in 2018, mass shootings — where four or more people (not including the shooter) are injured or killed — have been steadily increasing in the US. According to the Gun Violence Archive, the number of incidents rose from 417 in 2019 to 610 in 2020 to 692 in 2021. 2022 is keeping pace with last year, with 267 such tragedies recorded in just the first six months. The nonprofit, which has been tracking the numbers since 2014, reports that before 2019, there were below 400 incidents annually.
The mass rallies and rising number of shootings have not gone unnoticed. On June 12, 2022, Senate negotiators from the Democratic and Republican parties announced that they had agreed on an outline to approve new gun safety measures. The details are still being finalized. But the legislation is expected to include, among other things, broader background checks for prospective gun buyers under the age of 21. It will also prohibit individuals convicted of domestic violence from owning weapons.
"Today, we are announcing a common-sense, bipartisan proposal to protect America's children, keep our schools safe and reduce the threat of violence across our country," the 20 senators said in a joint statement. "Families are scared, and it is our duty to come together and get something done that will help restore their sense of safety and security in their communities."
The proposal will now be written into legislative text and presented to Congress for approval. The senators hope to expedite the process and get the new law passed before lawmakers leave for a two-week summer recess on June 24, 2022.
Resources: Washingtonpost.com, NPR.com, CBS.com, CNN.com, Marchforourlives.com
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38 Comments
summer_beachover 2 yearsGod bless the USA and it's freedomes! USA!
deafgirlhistoryover 2 yearsMarch for our own lives! All of this violence must stop! I thought 2022 will be better year since 2020 and 2021 Covid year but now instead, it just grows worse like, 1. War between Ukraine and Russia, 2. the Texas school shooting, 3. Government taking the people`s money, 4. the racist-hate shooting, etc...all this world needs is less fighting and more love! #MustStopShooting! #SaveThe World! #SaveLives!
krf3110over 2 yearsstop this! save lives!- summer_beachover 2 yearsI think people are getting payed for making mass shootings so they can get rid of our guns! I am literally trembling as I wrote this. (so scared)
fanaticfluffieover 2 yearsI agree
victoria_ellaover 2 years#stopguns and I MEAN IT!
adroit_avimimusover 2 yearsI'm glad measures are being taken. Even though there's still going to be people owning guns without a license, I believe it will help with the problem of minors with guns. And, there are other ways to arm yourself and protect yourself without a gun, like pepper spray.
iheartpuppiesover 2 yearsThey should not make people have a license. That way, we can arm people who can't protect themselfs. Th gun license won't do anything, those people in mass shootings are going to buy guns off the streats, and won't need a license
123456789katover 2 yearsIt still your opinion and it fine to disagree. However I think it will help.- iheartpuppiesover 2 yearsYou are right it might still be beneficial
doglover2012over 2 yearsNice- summer_beachover 2 years#HappyFlagDay
bluepup651over 2 yearsWow, I'm glad they're finally doing something about all the shootings, because I thought that they were gonna let people carry their guns in public without license! (I overheard my parents talking about it) So I'm glad they changed their minds.- iheartpuppiesover 2 yearsI know what youa re trying to say, but those people in those shootings buy guns illegally, so they probably don't have a license anyway.