James O'Brien dissects 'baffling' US gun control opposition
27 May 2022, 13:12
James O'Brien dissects Republican opposition to gun control
Following yet another mass murder event in America, James O'Brien tries to wrap his head around the 'intractable' reluctance in the US to control the sale and possession of guns.
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Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas was the scene of America's latest mass shooting on Tuesday when 18-year-old Salvador Ramos killed 21 people before being shot down by officers.
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Questions over the United States' notoriously relaxed gun laws resurfaced in the immediate aftermath of the event, with Republican Senators drawing the ire of the public for maintaining that stricter controls are not the solution.
"Why are politicians so blasé about their complicity in mass murder?" James O'Brien asked, referencing Senator Ted Cruz's refusal to call on more stringent controls in the wake of the Robb Elementary School massacre.
Senator Cruz has received over $400,000 in donations from the US' main gun lobby, the National Rifle Association.
"It is just baffling" James said of "the absolutely passionate opposition to the suggestion that it should be made in any way harder to get hold of weapons of war."
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"The gulf between America and the rest of the world is never bigger when we do this."
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He suggested such undying support for guns in America "goes hand in hand with far-right politics."
"Why is opposition to any form of gun control so intractable?"
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"They're not talking about bans, they're just talking about making it harder to get hold of stuff, and 50 Republican senators won't even contemplate the concept."
