Gun laws in US: Why Barack Obama's frustration is justified

Barack Obama clearly sounded frustrated following yet another shooting incident in the United States of America. He even urged the Congress to make a change to the gun laws of the country.

The frustration of the US President is clearly justified considering the number of deaths in shooting incidents has clearly overshot the number of deaths due to terrorism. The statistics tell a horrific picture and goes on to show why the US desperately need to change its gun laws.

Statistics tell a horrific picture

Homicidal deaths alone in the United States of America account for 153,144 between the years 2001 and 2013. However in terrorist strikes the statistics for the United States of America suggest that 3,046 persons had died between the years 2001 and 2014.

According to a report in the NBC News, the number (shooting incidents) do not even include suicide and legal police killings. If these were to be included then the number goes up to 394,912.

Still, just counting homicides alone, 11,780 Americans were killed by guns a year on average in that time period, while 219 on average were killed per year by terrorism - although of course the 9/11 attacks are the bulk of the deaths," NBC also reports.

Why the gun lobby wins

There have been discussions in the past as well to curb the sale of powerful guns. In the month of March 2015, the federal regulators refused a bid to ban a type of bullet that can pierce body armour after 285 Republicans and seven democrats objected.

The gun looby has always won in America. The National Rifle Association (NRA) which comprises 5 million members have often accused Obama of an assault on the Constitutional Rights of the citizens to keep arms.

Hillary Clinton a while ago harshly criticized the NRA and demanded that stronger gun control laws are in place. She even attacked the Republicans for blocking background checks and said that they refuse to do anything in a bid to protect our community. Further she also said that they have put the NRA ahead of the American families.

The Republicans have however argued that guns keep Americans safe.

A research conducted by the Congressional Research Service Report in 2012 states that there are 310 million civilian guns in the United States. The US incidentally has the highest rate of gun ownership in the world. It also has the highest homicide by a firearm among developed countries.