People gather during a rally decrying rising gun violence while urging politicians to take action in Washington, D.C., the United States, June 11, 2022.(Photo: Xinhua)

Halloween horror has turned into reality in the US as a spate of deadly mass shooting across the country left at least 11 dead and at least 76 injured over the past weekend, said organization. Experts said the more rampant gun violence has further exposed the US government’s incompetence; and selfishness of exploiting gun problem to gain political gains, whilst turning a blind eye to public rage and suffering. 

Between Friday and Sunday, 12 mass shootings took place, the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive reported as of Sunday evening. Many of the shootings took place at large gatherings in the early hours of Sunday.

This weekend's mass shootings come as the country mourns the victims of its deadliest mass shooting this year. Days earlier, 18 people were killed in a shooting in Lewiston, Maine.

More than 600 people have been killed in mass shootings in the US so far this year, the highest death toll from mass shootings in at least 10 years, according to the GVA. 

Rampant gun violence in the US is a typical embodiment of US failed governance, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Monday. The US has always portrayed itself as a poster child for an open society, politics for other countries to emulate. However, the widespread occurrence of gun violence has ripped off US mask of perfect governance, revealed the incompetence and deep-rooted problem of the country’s government, said Li.

Americans’ dissatisfaction with US gun laws has risen to 63 percent, a Gallup survey revealed in February this year, saying the rate marks the highest by one percentage point in Gallup’s 23-year trend, and an increase of seven points over the past year. At the same time, satisfaction with gun policy has fallen by the same amount to 34 percent, tying the lowest reading on record.

However, instead of solving this problem, US political parties are exploiting gun control to gain profits, which has made this issue not only a social problem, but also a political one, said Li.

A number  of mass shootings in 2022 including  ones in a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, and an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas has prompted the passage of the first significant federal gun legislation in nearly three decades. The law is aimed at keeping firearms out of the hands of people who are a threat to public safety and provides funding for mental health services, school security and crisis intervention programs.

The bill passed with unanimous Democratic support in both houses of Congress along with 14 Republicans in the US House and 15 Republicans in the US Senate. Most congressional Republicans opposed the bill on the grounds that it would restrict Second Amendment rights. At the same time, President Joe Biden and many congressional Democrats said it didn’t go far enough in restricting guns.

In September this year, Biden announced the establishment of the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention to help reduce the nation's gun violence. This has been viewed by many as not enough as it has not been able to pass a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines -- a campaign pledge from Biden's 2020 run. With the 2024 election on the horizon, Biden again called on Congress to act, and urged voters to take action if they don't.

“There's no politician in the US who would bring up the idea of banning guns. Democrats call for gun control is out of dual motivations, including for political appearances, which could mean a safe and point-adding stance to help them gain more support among voters,” Yuan Zheng, a deputy director and senior fellow at the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Whenever there is a mass shooting, Democrats bring up suggestions driven by political consideration, particularly gun-related bills which could help them woo voters as election looms in 2024, Yuan noted.