Record on gun control written in blood

Waning public support

Despite more mass shootings and more deaths involving guns, public support for stricter gun control has waned during the pandemic and amid the surge in gun ownership.

Fifty-three percent of people in the US support stricter gun control, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center in April.

The data showed that more people supported tighter laws before the pandemic－57 percent for 2018 and 60 percent for 2019.

On Dec 14, US President Joe Biden urged Congress to take action to prevent gun violence in remarks commemorating the ninth anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut in which 26 people, mostly children, were killed by a gunman.

Biden asked the Senate to quickly pass three bills that had been approved by the House of Representatives. The legislation would extend background checks on people wanting to buy firearms, do more to keep guns out of the hands of abusers, and provide $5 billion for the prevention of violence in communities.

While Biden's legislation on gun-control measures is at a stalemate in Congress, facing strong resistance from Republicans, ordinary people don't approve of how the president has handled gun violence.

A poll by ABC/Ipsos showed that only 32 percent of respondents approved of Biden's handling of the issue in November, down from 39 percent in a poll done for the previous month.

Although Biden was unable to push through Congress any laws for stricter gun control in 2021, six states have passed laws to further relax gun ownership.

Arkansas, Iowa, Montana, Tennessee, Texas and Utah enacted laws last year to allow so-called constitutional carry, a provision that lets people carry a concealed firearm without applying for a permit.

In addition, the Ohio House passed a similar bill eliminating safety training and background checks for concealed firearm carry in public. The bill now awaits a vote by the GOP-controlled state Senate. Wisconsin lawmakers are debating a permitless-carry bill.

Xinhua contributed to this story.