Oregon Mass Shooting Rekindles Debate on Gun Violence
WASHINGTON —
Last week’s mass-shooting at an Oregon college that left 10 people dead has revived the politically-polarizing issue of gun violence in the United States and what, if anything, should be done about it.
“I don’t know what to feel right now,” said Sara, a student at Umpqua Community College. “I’m terrified. I don’t want to go back there for a long time.”
An outpouring of shock and grief in Oregon comes months after a deadly mass shooting at a South Carolina church and nearly three years after a bloodbath at a Connecticut elementary school.
People bow their heads in prayer during a vigil Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Winston, Oregon.
In each case, tragedy spurs fierce debate on Capitol Hill. But legislation aimed at curbing America’s firearms mortality rate, the highest among developed nations, has been stymied for years.
“We’ve become numb to this,” said a visibly angry President Barack Obama Thursday. “This is a political choice we make to allow this to happen every few months in America. We collectively are answerable to those families who lose loved ones because of our inaction.”
Those running to succeed Obama are speaking out.
“I know there is a way to have sensible gun control measures that help prevent violence, prevent guns from getting into the wrong hands and save lives,” said Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Republicans are far less enthusiastic about a legislative approach.
“Before we start calling for more laws, I think we ought to consider why we don’t enforce the laws we have,” said Republican presidential contender Carly Fiorina.
Fellow-Republican Jeb Bush made headlines with a comment about the challenges of leadership in general, but which many saw as insensitive to the tragedy in Oregon.
“Look, stuff happens. There’s always a crisis,” Bush said. “And the impulse is always to do something, and it’s not necessarily the right thing to do.”
In 2013, a bill to better-scrutinize firearms purchasers was blocked in the Senate by gun-rights defenders. Today’s Republican-led Congress has even fewer members willing to consider gun control legislation.
But the president is undeterred.
“This will not change until the politics change and the behavior of elected officials changes,” Obama said. “And so the main thing I’m going to do is talk about this on a regular basis.”
The Democratic Party leader in the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, is calling for a special commission to probe gun violence and recommend legislative solutions. Meanwhile, America’s biggest gun-rights lobbying group, the National Rifle Association, has not commented officially yet on the Oregon tragedy or the political firestorm it rekindled.
October 2, 2015
1/14A sympathy sign is seen at sunrise outside Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. The Oregon sheriff investigating Thursday's mass shooting that killed nine people at a U.S. college campus took the unusual step of refusing to publicly identify the suspect, insisting on Friday he would do nothing to glorify the gunman or his cause.
2/14Israeli border police officers carry a right-wing protester after he attempted to block a road during a demonstration, a day after a drive-by shooting by suspected Palestinian gunmen killed a Jewish settler couple driving home with their children, in Jerusalem.
3/14Hurricane Joaquin is seen over the Bahamas in a photo taken by astronaut Scott Kelly from the International Space Station. The Category 4 storm pounded the Bahamas for a second day with powerful winds and waves on Friday, but it was not expected to be a major threat to the U.S. East Coast.
4/14Rescue workers carry a body away from the site of a landslide in Santa Catarina Pinula, on the outskirts of Guatemala City. Recent rainfall provoked the landslide, affecting dozens of homes.
5/14Antonio Costa (C), leader of the opposition Socialist party (PS), attends an election campaign event in Lisbon, Portugal. The country will hold its general election on October 4.
6/14Schoolchildren dressed as Mahatma Gandhi take part in an attempt to set a new Guiness World Record, for the largest gathering of people dressed as Gandhi, during celebrations to mark his 146th birth anniversary, in Bengaluru, India.
7/14A BASE jumper leaps from the 300-meter-high Kuala Lumpur Tower during the International Tower Jump in which more than 100 people took part, on a hazy day in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
8/14Evangelical Christian pilgrims from Brazil raise their hands in the air as they pray during a mass baptism ceremony, in the waters of the Jordan River at Yardenit in northern Israel. According to the gospels Jesus Christ was baptized in the water of the Jordan River by John the Baptist.
9/14Real Madrid’s striker Cristiano Ronaldo kisses a silver boot award for scoring the most goals for the club during a ceremony at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain. Ronaldo recently overtook Raul Gonzalez to become the club's all-time highest goalscorer with a tally of 324 goals.
10/14A worker walks in front of panoramic artwork 'Great Barrier Reef,' from artist Yadegar Asisi, during a press preview at the Leipzig Asisi Panometer in Leipzig, central Germany.
11/14People watch the waves from the Atlantic Ocean in a rainstorm at Carolina Beach, North Carolina. Millions along the East Coast breathed a little easier Friday after forecasters said Hurricane Joaquin would probably veer out to sea instead of joining up with a drenching rainstorm that is bringing severe flooding.
12/14A horse walks during a sunny autumn day in a forest outside Almaty, Kazakhstan.
13/14Singer Rihanna smiles as she poses before Christian Dior's Spring-Summer 2016 ready-to-wear fashion collection, presented during Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France.
14/14A hot air balloon floats over Balloon Fiesta Park in advance of the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The nine-day event begins Saturday with a mass ascension and attracts hundreds of balloonists and thousands of spectators from around the world.
