Too slow on the draw
Clearly there is a disturbing trend of mass shootings in America which, even President Obama admitted, is “unparalleled anywhere in the world”. Yet, though the California shootings have triggered (once again) an international wave of concern, and traditional anti-gun, pro-Democrat US lobbies have once again come down hard on ‘gun culture’, the pro-gun largely Republican bloc refuses to treat such incidents as out of the ordinary. That this latest tragedy has come when the election campaign is picking up steam has not helped matters unfortunately.
Interestingly, the US media – usually quick on the draw on raising the ‘terrorism’ alert – was largely more restrained this time. The more right-of-centre outlets did give the Republicans a few more headlines – where frontrunners immediately cried ‘Islamist terrorism’ – but mostly the focus has been on the official investigation. Things will become clearer, of course, when details emerge about this mysterious Muslim couple, with a six-month old daughter, and what made them snap so aggressively that they committed one of the worst mass shootings in recent memory. For now, though, the prevalent scare is understandable. Terrorism has been on the rise internationally. And, as the Paris attack recently proved, the west is now an increasingly vulnerable target. So, till it becomes clear whether this was one of those mass shootings that the US has become known for or something even more sinister, the fear-factor will, rightly, remain high.
Still, as President Obama, and most Democratic presidential hopefuls implied, continuing to turn a blind eye to this phenomenon is unacceptable. For decades the pros and cons of this gun culture have been endlessly debated. And while little common ground has been found between opposing groups, such tragedies have continued to take place. Considering how most western countries, led in fact by America, have tightened internal rules and laws in the face of the terrorist threat, it is time the US gave gun control more serious attention also. So far, going by the results, this matter has not yet received proper consideration. Those in charge continue to be to slow on the draw on this count.
