The most hotly debated topics in US politics in 2015 were gun control and terrorism. Supporters of the right to bear arms is the belief that it could offer invaluable self defence as tensions rise in the Middle East and more refugees enter the country – contrary to this, opponents think that the looser our gun laws the more violence we’ll see occur.
But gun control has proven to be a problem that Americans have trouble coming to a decision on. A recent publication by the Christopher Ingraham of the Washington Post revealed that only one Islamic shooting attack took place in 2015, while an astounding 52 toddler shooting incidents were documented. 20 Democratic senators reacted to this news by demanding the public address the issue of gun violence and the widespread firearm possession in these United States.
And this isn’t even the whole story – the 52 reported shootings only account for a small percentage of the number of children involved in gun-related incidents in 2015. Every Town USA reported a total of 238 gun injuries and deaths by children ages 17 and under. Senator Patty Murray of Washington, D.C., wrote:
“Death and injury by firearm is one of the most significant public health threats to young people in communities across our nation. […] Given these stark statistics, prevention of gun deaths and injuries should be an essential component of the federal government’s commitment to public health and safety.”
Senator Murray also pointed out that toddler shooting incidents occurred in rural areas as often as urban ones, adding emphasis to the argument that gun violence is a country-wide problem Americans need to address more seriously. The letter was signed by 19 other U.S. Democratic senators, and as 2016 begins, we will watch as the nation and our political leaders try and come to a consensus on what the future of American gun control looks like.