US President Barack Obama assured Americans on Sunday that the Islamic State group will be defeated, saying, “Our military will continue to hunt down terrorist plotters in any country where it is necessary.”
It was only the third time he had delivered a speech from the Oval Office address and the current climate of fear and tension clearly contributed to the aggression in his tone. “Here’s what I want you to know. The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it. We will destroy ISIL and any other organisation that tries to harm us,” he said.
While nobody denies that the IS threat is for real, many also wonder why America has failed to control gun violence despite countless instances of deadly shootings at schools, universities and public places over the years. To mention just one chilling incident, as many as 20 children, all under seven, were killed by 20-year-old gunman at an elementary school in Connecticut in December 2012.
As things stand today, anybody with a crime-free past can walk away with a weapon legally bought from a store after a basic background check. In some states even a firearm licence is not required to own a weapon, making it ridiculously easy for people bent on committing a serious crime.
In Sunday’s address, Obama touched upon the issue, saying Americans “also need to make it harder for people to buy powerful assault weapons, like the ones that were used in San Bernardino.”
The issue of gun control is a complex one, with the Republicans deadly against any attempt to dilute the Second Amendment which protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms and was adopted on December 15, 1791, as part of the first ten amendments contained in the Bill of Rights. The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that the right belongs to individuals, while also ruling that the right is not unlimited and does not prohibit all regulation of either firearms or similar devices. State and local governments are limited to the same extent as the federal government from infringing this right per the incorporation of the Bill of Rights.
On Thursday, a day after the San Bernardino massacre, Senate Republicans rejected a bill that aims to stop suspected terrorists from legally buying guns.
Dianne Feinstein, a California Democratic Party senator, said the powerful gun lobby cannot hold the entire country hostage.
“If you need proof that Congress is a hostage to the gun lobby, look no further than today’s vote blocking a bill to prevent known or suspected terrorists from buying guns and explosives,” she said. “Congress has been paralysed by the gun lobby for years, while more and more Americans are killed in mass shootings. The carnage won’t stop until Congress finds the courage to stand up to the gun lobby and protect the nation.”
Clearly, gun control is the need of the hour. America needs to find a way forward if mass shootings are to be prevented. A 224-year-old amendment should not come in the way of lives being saved.