Inside The Americas - Gun violence in the US

The 2012 Sandy Hook, Connecticut school shooting massacre, which left 26 dead, most of them young children, was an eye opener for many in the United States. President Barack Obama and 90% of the US public favored gun control legislation that would expand background checks. But bills failed in the Senate. The fact is that obtaining a gun is quite easy in the United States. On a national level, gun control advocates face a formidable obstacle in the National Rifle Association, which in 2014 spent a whopping US$30.5 million in lobbying and campaign contributions. So gun control activists are now focusing their efforts on the state level. But many feel it may take more school killings to drive the urgency of gun control home to broader sectors of the population. teleSUR