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OpinionComment

After Orlando, the US must accept that strict gun laws curb mass violence, as China’s example shows

Zhou Zunyou says China has been free of the kind of murderous rampage the US witnesses on a regular basis, in part because of its laws

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Family members wait for word from the police near the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on the night of June 12. Photo: AP
Zhou Zunyou
Two simultaneous incidents on Sunday brought much international attention to the US and China. In Orlando, Florida, a gunman armed with an assault rifle and handgun shot dead 49 people and wounded 53 others at a gay nightclub in the deadliest mass shooting in America’s modern history. The shooter, Omar Mateen, 29, who died in an exchange of fire with police officers, was a US citizen of Afghan heritage.
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At about the same time in Shanghai, a 29-year-old Chinese man, Zhou Xingbai, set off a home-made explosive device at an airport check-in counter, injuring four people, before cutting his neck with a knife. He was taken to hospital for surgery. Zhou turned out to be an indebted gambler, who had warned on social media before the attack that he would commit “a very crazy act”. If firearms were not strictly controlled in China, his attack could have been much worse.

Sadly, Orlando deaths won’t be a force for change in America’s gun control debate

The Florida atrocity has rekindled debate over gun control in the US; the Shanghai explosion is another reminder of how lucky Chinese people are to live in a country without a serious gun problem.

In terms of the number of mass shootings, the US is by far the world’s No 1. Here, a “mass shooting” refers to a single incident that kills or injures at least four, including the assailant. In 2015 alone, there were 372 mass shootings in the US, leaving 475 people dead and 1,870 wounded. As for “gun murders”, a broader term, the US is also exceptional. In 2012, for example, the number of gun murders per capita, 2.9 per 100,000, was almost 30 times that of the UK, with just 0.1. Of all the murders in that year, 60 per cent were committed using firearms in the US, compared with just 10 per cent in the UK.

Police investigate a crime scene after two people were shot on June 15 in Chicago, Illinois. One witness said two men were arguing over the price of a service when one pulled out a gun and shot the other and his son after being assaulted with a baton. Photo: AFP
Police investigate a crime scene after two people were shot on June 15 in Chicago, Illinois. One witness said two men were arguing over the price of a service when one pulled out a gun and shot the other and his son after being assaulted with a baton. Photo: AFP
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The US is also known for having the highest rate of gun ownership in the world, with nearly one gun for every citizen, thanks to the country’s legal framework and unique firearms culture. For many Americans, owning guns is viewed as a fundamental right enshrined in the constitution. Although mass shootings and gun murders have occurred with increasing frequency in recent years, opinion polls suggest that public support in the US for gun rights remains strong.

Two-thirds of Americans want next president to tighten gun laws

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