Just as there is a vaccine to fights against covid, a vaccine against gun violence is needed.

Gun violence in the United States surged by 30% from pre-pandemic levels during 2020-21, says a new study published in the BMJ.

According to the study, gun-related killings, suicides, and injuries all increased from 1 March 2020 to 31 March 2021 as compared to the same time in 2019-20. The authors studied gun-related violence at the national, state, and time levels during the outbreak. They based their findings on data provided by the Gun Violence Archive, an independent non-profit organization that covers all 50 US states and the District of Columbia.

During the pandemic period under investigation, the United States registered 51 063 gun-related crimes, including 21 504 deaths and 43 288 injuries. This contrasts to 38 919 identical events prior to the pandemic, which resulted in 16 687 deaths and 32 348 injuries.

Paddy Ssentongo, the study’s lead author, told The BMJ, “There were 5000 extra deaths and 10 000 extra injuries nationally. This is a public health emergency.”

Just as there is a vaccine to prevent covid-19, he claimed that a vaccine against gun violence was needed.

Access to weapons/handguns increased by 42 percent during the pandemic, on the basis of a rise in criminal background checks for gun buying made to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Ssentongo told The BMJ,

“The presence of a gun or access to a gun in the house is known as a risk factor for gun violence. People buy guns because of fears during the pandemic, and that leads to an increase in gun violence.”

During the pandemic, lockdowns and stay-at-home orders were issued to practically the entire US population in order to prevent the virus from spreading. Unintended outcomes have included social support network breakdown, unemployment, and financial difficulty, as well as an increase in unscheduled time, substance abuse, and depression.

The analysis discovered a consistently greater risk of gun violence across the country. The District of Columbia and 27 states had significantly higher rates of gun violence: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin.

Gun ownership in the US relies on the second amendment to the US Constitution, which ambiguously states, “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

Individual states control gun ownership; for example, New York makes it harder to obtain a firearm, whereas Texas makes it simpler. The Supreme Court concluded in 2008 that the second amendment granted individuals the freedom to own a gun for lawful uses, such as home defence, irrespective of militia duty.

This fall, the Supreme Court will hear a case challenging a New York state law that requires anybody who wants to carry a hidden gun outside the home to provide a solid reason. The court is anticipated to make a decision next year. If the court rules in favor of the case, gun ownership may become more common.

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