NRA still has followers
After the Parkland massacre the United States will not be the same country, or at least, its citizens will question more about the possession and control of guns. The public debate has deepened, as well as the divisions between defenders and opponents of the issue. The marches that have taken place in several parts of the nation, crying out for taking more severe measures to reduce such acts, are joined by the demonstrations of those defenders of the Second Amendment who consider it an indispensable part of the Americans’ life and the National Association of Rifle the defense banner of that right.
The state of New Jersey witnessed a demonstration by NRA supporters who marched against the measures that are expected to be imposed for greater arms control that should be discussed in the assembly. Caps of the National Rifle Association, badges, t-shirts, and posters were part of the support manifestation in an act in front of the Trenton Memorial, a few meters from the legislature. According to some cable offices, the Democratic-majority State Assembly will vote on six bills written after the massacre in Florida, where 17 people died. The measures seek to answer some of the claims made throughout the nation about gun control.
Among the measures there will be the confiscation of firearms by judicial order, a measure that has been acclaimed again and again because several of the events that occurred involved people with mental problems. It is also being requested to increase the legal age for the fire guns’ possession, particularly, the legal background check, as well as the creation of a national database that records the background of those who are going to buy guns. The massacre carried out by Nikolas Cruz in Parkland has caused many legislators to agree on the review of the mental state of the buyers.
According to several studies and data offered by the press and government organizations such as the Gun Violence Archive Study, about 1,900 people have been killed by bullet wounds and, more disturbing, some 13,000 people die each year from homicides with firearms.
For several years in the United States, there have been protests in favor of greater restrictions on the sale of arms. After the events of Parkland and the students of the school involved in the events raised their voices led by Emma González, around 2500 marches are projected to take place, so far in Florida 830 have been carried out by students. With them, they intend to continue pressuring Donald Trump to take action on the matter, which apparently does not care or fears to lose his interests and friendship with the NRA. Hence, many consider that such a law hardening regarding firearms possession will not occur since the government and especially the Republican Party is strongly tied to the lobby of the National Rifle Association, like Senator Marcos Rubio, narrowly linked to it.
On March 24, more than 840 marches were scheduled around the world to protest against the indifference of President Donald Trump to take more restrictive measures. The demonstrations were from Miami to Japan and had as a common theme: reducing violence with firearms, especially at schools.
Still, some believe viable to march in favor of the sale and possession of arms in a nation where every day the mourning of young lives increases due to firearms’ violence.