US wakes up to gun culture early in 2021

The United States had one of its first brushes with random shootings this year on Jan 9 when Jason Nightengale, a 32-year-old male, went on a killing spree in Chicago.

At1:50 pm local time, he first shot a man sitting inside a car,before breaking into two buildings and shooting at people there. He then ventured into a shop, shooting more people. It was not until 5 pm before the police finally cornered him, killing him in the cross-fire.

Local reports say the shooter killed at least three people and deeply injured four others. Among the dead is Fan Yiran, a 30-year-old Chinese scholar who planned to submit his dissertation for his doctorate this year.

While mourning the dead, it is worth raising a few questions. The gunman first shot Fan. However, it took more than three hours for the police to finally get him. Why did it take them so long? Had they stopped the gunman earlier, more lives could have been saved.

Local media said the gunman had posted several nonsensical and expletive-laced videos on social media in the days leading to the shooting, including one in which he is heard saying, "I'm going to blow up the whole community."Some media reports said the posts on his Facebook account hint at abnormal behavior. Had someone reported this to the police, the tragedy could have been avoided.

The security measures in the US definitely need a lot to be desired, as the gun culture there threatens so many lives. Besides, one wonders how Jason, shown by the Chicago Tribune as being booked by the police in 2018 for causing injuries with lethal weapons,obtained a gun.

According to a 2016 crime report released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 31 percent of all mass shootings in the world take place in the US, although it has just 5 percent of the global population. Huffington Post even estimated an average 2.5-year life loss for US residents because of the gun culture prevalent there.

Efforts to control guns have almost all failed, partly because the arms lobby is so powerful that politicians challenging them risk losing votes. As a result, residents of the world's most powerful country live in fear.

Considering the deepening social schism as evidenced in the storming of the Capitol last week, there is greater need to control the gun culture in the US.

— ZHANG ZHOUXIANG, CHINA DAILY