VOA慢速英语--美国与大规模枪击案、不断上升的枪支暴力作斗争

US Struggles with Mass Shootings, Rising Gun Violence

The United States is hopeful for an end to the coronavirus pandemic as it tries to prevent an "epidemic¹" of gun violence.

On Thursday, officials in the city of Chicago, Illinois, released video of the March 29 killing² of young teenager Adam Toledo. The recording³ appears to show the 13-year-old boy dropping a handgun and raising his hands just before the officer fired.

The police said they had gone to the area, a mostly Hispanic neighborhood of Chicago, to answer reports of gunfire. They said the officer who shot Toledo had tried to save him.

The video came out as another police officer was charged with the shooting and killing of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, was shot during a traffic stop. A police official said the officer mistakenly shot Wright and had meant to use a Taser against him.

Wright's death led to several days of riots in the area.

The nightly riots in the city took place as former police officer Derek Chauvin stands trial for the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Chauvin, who is white, was seen on video holding Floyd, who is Black, down with a knee to his neck for more than 9 minutes. During the recording, Floyd repeatedly tells the police, "I can't breathe...."

Floyd's death led to nationwide protests on policing and violence against minorities in the country.

Mass shootings

The U.S. is also experiencing a wave of mass shootings. On Thursday, a gunman killed eight people and himself in an attack at a FedEx workplace in Indianapolis, Indiana. Several other people were wounded in the mass shooting.

Pete Buttigieg is the U.S. Secretary of Transportation and former mayor of the small Indiana city, South Bend. He posted about the incident on Twitter: "We wake up once more to news of a mass shooting, this time in Indiana. No country should accept this now-routine horror. It's long past time to act."

The FedEx shooting was the third mass shooting in the state of Indiana this year alone. And it was the latest in a series of mass shootings across the U.S. Just last month, eight people were killed in and around Atlanta, Georgia at massage⁴ businesses and 10 died in the shooting at a food store in Boulder⁵, Colorado.

The Gun Violence Archive reports that 147 mass shootings have occurred in the U.S. so far in 2021. The independent organization defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people were shot or killed. Its information is collected daily from law enforcement, government, and other reports.

What to do about gun violence?

Every mass shooting in America seems to bring more calls for gun control without success.

On April 8, President Joe Biden announced several new measures aimed at decreasing gun violence in the U.S. He called the issue "an epidemic and an international embarrassment⁶" for the country.

The new measures include the restriction⁷ of "ghost guns," unregistered weapons that cannot be tracked. Another restricts a gun device, called a stabilizing⁸ brace⁹, that can make handguns more deadly. And, a new rule will permit law enforcement to take possession of guns from owners who think they might do harm with the weapon.

The National Rifle Association, an organization that supports gun-ownership, moved quickly to denounce Biden's gun-control measures. The organization said, "These actions could require Americans to surrender lawful¹⁰ property," adding that states might use the measure to increase firearm seizures¹¹. The group said on Twitter, "It's time to STAND and FIGHT!"

The president, however, noted¹² the limitations of his executive orders. He asked the Senate to immediately pass current bills from the House of Representatives that require tough background checks and longer waiting periods on gun purchases.

How many guns are there?

No one knows exactly how many guns are in the United States.

A 2012 report from the Congressional Research Service estimated that, as of 2009, Americans had more than 310 million guns.

The numbers are certain to be much higher now based on information from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) maintained by the U.S. government. When a person tries to buy a gun, the law requires a background check for criminal record or other restrictions¹³. Since 1998, more than 300 million checks have been done and only 1.5 million were denied.

The NICS reported 12.5 million background checks in the first three months of this year alone. There were nearly 40 million in 2020 and more than 172 million since 2013.

The increase of background checks followed by gun purchases came after the school shootings in Sandy Hook and Parkland. Last year, it came with the start of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests following George Floyd's death.

A recent report from The Brookings Institution says Americans bought 19 million more guns in the first six months of 2020. The report says that, at this rate, "there are more guns than people in the United States." The U.S. population is estimated to be around 330 million.

Words in This Story

Taser - n. a weapon designed to shock and impair¹⁴ a person's function

massage - n. the action of rubbing someone's body in a way to help relax muscles or reduce pain

embarrassment - n. the state of feeling foolish in front of others

1 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

4 massage   

n.按摩，揉；vt.按摩，揉，美化，奉承，篡改数据

参考例句：

• He is really quite skilled in doing massage.他的按摩技术确实不错。
• Massage helps relieve the tension in one's muscles.按摩可使僵硬的肌肉松弛。

5 boulder   

n.巨砾；卵石，圆石

参考例句：

• We all heaved together and removed the boulder.大家一齐用劲，把大石头搬开了。
• He stepped clear of the boulder.他从大石头后面走了出来。

6 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

7 restriction   

n.限制，约束

参考例句：

• The park is open to the public without restriction.这个公园对公众开放，没有任何限制。
• The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.每小时限速30英里适用于所有建筑物聚集区。

8 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

9 brace   

n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备

参考例句：

• My daughter has to wear a brace on her teeth. 我的女儿得戴牙套以矫正牙齿。
• You had better brace yourself for some bad news. 有些坏消息,你最好做好准备。

10 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

11 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句

12 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

13 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

14 impair   

v.损害，损伤；削弱，减少

参考例句：

• Loud noise can impair your hearing.巨大的噪音有损听觉。
• It can not impair the intellectual vigor of the young.这不能磨灭青年人思想活力。