Monday, March 29, 2021
On March 16, a gunman killed eight people in Georgia. On the 22nd, a shooter took the lives of 10 more at a grocery store in Colorado.
The Colorado shooting marked the seventh mass shooting in seven days in the United States.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have already been more than 100 mass shootings this year; last year, there were more than 600.
While some suggest mental health access or violent video games have led the country astray, data suggests the sheer number of guns in the U.S. coupled with a lack of regulation is a driving factor.
For example, Americans represent about 4.4% of the global population but own 42% of the world’s guns.
And while mass shootings do take place in other countries, they are often followed by significant gun control legislation, including in Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Finland and Germany.
We sit down with a panel of experts to understand why the United States continues to tolerate excessive gun violence and if renewed calls for legislative action will come to pass.
GUESTS
Tamara Keith, White House correspondent for NPR and co-host of The NPR Politics Podcast
Dr. Ronnie Dunn, professor of urban studies at Cleveland State University
Abené Clayton, gun violence reporter for The Guardian
Kris Brown, president of Brady United Against Gun Violence
