IT takes a tragedy of massive proportions, like the recent Orlando mass murder, to move United States politicians into doing something about the country’s gun control law.
Every time a mass murder takes place in America, criticisms are levelled at the lax gun control laws for being the reason why a lone-wolf shooter can kill so many.
And, within minutes Republican politicians and the National Rifle Association would launch a publicity campaign to dismiss the allegation, and cite the Second Amendment, which gives Americans the right to own guns.
Democratic politicians in Congress are also afraid to push for tougher gun laws for fear of losing political support, especially in conservative states, which hold firmly to the belief that every citizen is entitled to defend himself by whatever means.
Opponents of gun control are quick to remind the American public that the pioneers who moved to settle in the wild west some 200 years ago faced the dangers alone in the frontier lands with the gun by their side.
It is true that gun control laws cannot guarantee that a murder like the Orlando shooting will not recur, but there is a strong argument for gun control.
If there is a ban on military grade weapons from being easily sold and bought, then the likelihood of mass murders taking place with such frequency is lessened.
The situation is so lax now that Americans almost feel ashamed that their country is degenerating into lawlessness, like countries where people live and die by the gun.
As leader of the free world, America owes it to itself to set a good example for law and order, especially as it is now embarking on a more aggressive military mission to intervene in Middle Eastern conflicts to save the region and the world from groups like the Islamic State and al Qaeda.
Now that the US Senate has agreed to begin debating this pressing issue of gun control, let us hope that American politicians will leave aside their vested interests to tackle this problem once and for all.
We also pray that the next president of the United States will not be Donald Trump because he wants Americans to be armed to the teeth so that they can fight radical Islam on the home front.
Just like when a kid from a middle-class family steals his father’s gun to kill his teacher, employer and all standing in his way for insulting his pride or his ego, random killings by gun violence is a frequent feature of American life, a blot on its civilisation.
We look forward to the day when America frees itself from its shameful gun culture, which is quite unbecoming for such a great nation. NST