Washington, United States

The disturbing milestone of 100 mass shootings was surpassed by the US in 2023, raising questions over the inaction in the country's state legislatures and Washington.

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In the first week of March, the US reached the grim number of 100 as per the data released by the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), which defines a mass shooting as an incident in which at least four people are killed, excluding the gunman.

The US last year reached the number 100 on March 19, according to the GVA.

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In 2021, the country reached the number 100 in late March and from 2018 to 2020, 100 mass shootings did not take place till May.

“Americans are tired of fearing if they or their families will be the next victims of a mass shooting. Our children are tired of being told to ‘run, hide, and fight',” stated Kris Brown, president at Brady: United Against Gun Violence.

“These regular, uniquely American tragedies must be a call to action for our political leaders. We need decisive change to US gun laws and regulations. The cost of political inaction on preventing gun violence is increasingly, tragically clear,” said Brown.

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Following the passage of bipartisan gun safety law, there has not been much development on more gun safety legislation in the divided Congress, even as the rate of mass shootings has increased.

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“Although fatal and nonfatal firearm injuries are growing, no real legislative response has followed acts of gun violence in support of individuals or the communities in which they live. And there is scant proof that prevention measures, such as active shooter drills, have reduced actual harm,” said Mark S Kaplan, a professor of social welfare at UCLA.

“There are real solutions and tools – including bans on the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines – available now that can make a difference, but only if our elected officials act to implement them,” he stated.

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