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Thousands of protesters took over the famous Brooklyn Bridge this Thursday, during a march called to demand actions to control access to weapons and put a stop to mass shootings like those that have recently mourned the United States, coinciding with debates on various measures officials about it.
On the eve of National Gun Violence Awareness Day (proclaimed on the first Friday of June), a march attended by protesters dressed in orange took to the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, to expose the ravages that this scourge has brought, while authorities at various levels begin to take the first steps to put an end to it.
The research group Archive of Armed Violence documented that this year alone there have been 18,000 deaths related to the use of weapons in the United States, although some 10,000 are attributed to suicides.
Yet on Memorial Day weekend alone (last Saturday through Monday), nine people were killed and 63 others injured in 14 mass shootings that took place in 11 states. In the five months that have elapsed this year, the organization has recorded 230 mass shootings in the country, 11 of which resulted in massacres.
On the other hand, the Small Arms Survey, an entity based in Switzerland, has found that the United States is the only country in the world in which the number of weapons held by civilians exceeds the number of inhabitants.
Thousands of demonstrators who held banners with slogans and photographs of the victims spoke out against phenomena like these, reaching the City Hall.
Eric Adams appoints an “anti-gun czar” in New York
Upon arrival at City Hall, the protesters were met with news that the city’s mayor, former police officer Eric Adams, has appointed what he called an “anti-gun violence czar,” an official who will head a task force to stop a growing phenomenon in New York.
The appointee, AT Mitchell, is the founder of Man Up!, a Brooklyn-based social service organization dedicated to engaging the community in initiatives and activities to reduce violence. Mitchell marched anonymously as part of the protesters, before his name was announced.
“We didn’t jump into this problem overnight, so we can’t expect an overnight solution,” acknowledged Mitchell, whom Adams referred to as “the right person for the job.” “Actually we are asking for an honest opportunity, a fair opportunity. I can’t give you a deadline because we have lived a long time in these conditions, because we don’t do miracles.”
Adams, who took office at the beginning of the year, is dealing with a rising crime rate, but he also dealt with a mass shooting last month that left 23 wounded on the New York subway, including 10 from gunshots.
Unsecured actions are launched on Capitol Hill
The United States House of Representatives began analyzing this Thursday a bill that seeks to regulate the carrying of weapons, despite the low probability that it will pass the scrutiny of the Senate, as usually happens with these initiatives.
The legislation would raise the legal age to purchase semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, after two 18-year-old gunmen using this type of weapon caused 31 deaths in recent weeks between Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, including 19 children in a primary school.
In addition, the project would make it a federal crime to import, manufacture or possess large-capacity chargers and would establish subsidies for the repurchase of those that are already in the hands of citizens.
The full House is expected to vote next week on the law, which goes by the name ‘Protecting Our Children’ and is pushed by the Democratic caucus as a token measure, just to put their position on record. knowing that he will run into opposition from Republicans once he passes the Senate.
Jerrold Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, responded strongly Thursday to criticism of the bill. “Are you saying that it is too early to take action? That we are politicizing tragedies to make room for new policies? It has been 23 years since Columbine, 15 since Virginia Tech, ten since Sandy Hook, seven since Charleston and four since Parkland , Santa Fe and the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. Coming soon, my friends? What the hell are you waiting for?
The discussions come hours before President Joe Biden’s address to the nation on Thursday night, in which he is expected to demand tighter limits on gun ownership, in an effort to put pressure on Congress.
With AP and Reuters
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