An epidemic of gun violence has gripped America – why have we given up trying to stop it?

At least 22 mass shootings marred the recent Independence Day celebrations – but the politics surrounding firearms in the US are the stuff of parody, writes Jonathan Metzl

Rev. Shawn Freeman speaks during a prayer gathering at the site of a mass shooting in the Southern District of Baltimore, July 3 (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

In the United States we celebrated our independence in the most American way possible: by ducking for cover.

At least 22 mass shootings marred the recent long 4 July holiday weekend. Multiple victim gun homicides killed 20 people and injured scores more in states, cities, and towns across the nation. A man armed with an AR-15 style rifle and a pistol went on a shooting rampage in Philadelphia, killing and injuring victims including a 33-year-old mother and her two-year-old twins. Deadly shootings disrupted holiday gatherings in Baltimore, Louisiana, Michigan, and Texas. Someone opened fire on people lighting off celebratory fireworks in Boston. A 10-year-old and a 17-year-old were among the victims when a gunman fired from the window of an SUV in Washington, DC.

These tragedies played out one year after a gunman killed seven people and injured 48 others at an Independence Day parade in Illinois – followed by yet another year in which mass shootings continued to rise. Today in Michigan, a pre-trial hearing begins for a 17-year-old high school student who brought a semiautomatic weapon to school and killed his classmates. Gun violence has become as American as baseball, hot dogs, or apple pie.