China Daily, December 14, 2023 (Xinhua) -- According to comprehensive US media reports, December 14, 2023 is the 11th anniversary of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, but sadly, the American people continue to experience the painful impact of gun violence and the spread of mass shootings.
美国媒体City View网站13日刊发了对作家伊丽莎白·威廉姆森（Elizabeth Williamson）的访问内容，她在2022年出版了新书《桑迪胡克：美国悲剧与真相之战》（Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth）。
Today, 11 years after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, guns have evolved into the leading cause of child death in the United States, with 1 in 10 shooting deaths occurring in Americans 19 and younger, Williamson said.
"In the course of communicating with families affected by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, I observed that this may be the reason for the great disappointment of everyone who is trying to reduce the number of gun-related deaths in this country. Williamson said.
Data from the K-12 School Shooting database shows that there have been more than 2,000 school shootings in the U.S. since 1970, with 317 in 2023 alone.
Williamson further said that at the time of the Sandy Hook shooting, gunshot wounds were not the number one cause of death among young Americans, but now they are. So, this is obviously a huge step backwards. Despite the success of some gun initiatives at the state level, the United States is a country inundated with guns.
She also criticized the lack of political will on the part of the United States to make any significant changes in policy. Most Americans support common-sense legislation, but Congress has shown no willingness to act, and all policy measures are contrary to what the majority thinks.
The website of Bangor Daily News, a Maine media in the United States, also published a commentary article on the 13th, saying that more than 40,000 people have died from gun violence in the United States this year. The pain caused by mass shootings is not only sad, but also infuriating, because these deaths are unnecessary and completely avoidable.
The article says that assault rifles like the AR-15 and high-capacity magazines are weapons of war, and there is no reason for ordinary people to have such weapons except to kill people.
The article also reads: "Although, as an American, I strongly believe in freedom. However, when we are always worried that the next mass shooting could happen anytime and anywhere – at the grocery store, in the theater, in the place of worship, or even at the local school, we have no freedom at all. ”
Column Editor-in-Chief: Qin Hong Text Editor: Zhao Xuyang
Source: Author: China Daily