Trigger warning: gun violence
On April 12, it was a usual morning at the New York City Subway in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, when a mass shooting was committed on a northbound train. Frank Robert James, a 62-year-old black nationalist, had a gas mask on and threw smoke grenades in the train. He fired his handgun 33 times as the train was travelling between 59th Street and 36th Street stations.
Assaults and other major crimes on the subway systems have risen during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. Crime (major felonies) in the subway has increased by 68% in the first four months of 2022, compared to the same time in 2021, according to NYPD statistics.
Major American Cities affected by crime wave
New York City is not alone. Violence in major American cities still remains higher than it was before the pandemic, as per the new statistics from the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ), which examines crime data from 29 cities.
The mid-year crime report by CCJ shows that the homicide numbers for the first half of 2022 based on 23 cities, is still 39% higher than they were in the same time span of 2019.
The study also reviewed property crimes, violent crimes and drug offenses. Robberies and aggravated assaults increased by 19% and 4% respectively, while property crime rose by 6%.
Why are citizens committing mass shootings?
The rising crime wave can be due to a surge in gun violence across the country. Experts believe the increase in gun violence has been caused by the stress of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests that followed the murder of George Floyd.
There have been several mass shootings in 2022 due to lax gun laws. One of them was on the Fourth of July weekend when a gunman killed seven people and wounded many more in Highland Park, Illinois.
But, the deadliest shooting in the country this year was the Uvalde elementary school massacre in Texas in which 19 children and two teachers were killed on May 24.
The Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit research group, has counted at least 356 mass shootings this year and of those 16 shootings, there were four or more fatalities.
Legislations to curb the onslaught of crime
However, to prevent this gun violence, the Senate has passed a bipartisan bill that hopes to achieve gun safety and keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was written in the aftermath of mass shootings.
It would increase background checks for gun buyers between 18 and 21 years old, give incentives to states to enact “red flag” laws that enable the confiscation of firearms temporarily from dangerous people, and provide millions of dollars for mental health and school safety. It would also extend to domestic abusers prohibited from buying guns.
Moreover, a Californian legislation by Gov. Gavin Newsom aims to ban assault weapons and ghost guns. The Senate bill would award plaintiffs $10,000 for suing anyone who imports, distributes, manufactures of sells assault-style weapons, guns without serial numbers, .50-caliber rifles and parts that can be used to build firearms.
Legislations like these can hopefully mitigate and prevents crimes from happening in the country. More such laws need to be advocated and enacted to soothe the wave of crime that has captured the U.S.