US Should Treat Gun Violence Like Drunk-Driving, Complacency 'Not Cool' - Gun Safety NGO

US Should Treat Gun Violence Like Drunk-Driving, Complacency 'Not Cool' - Gun Safety NGO

The problem of gun violence in the United States should be approached like that of drunk-driving by making people understand that it is wrong to be irresponsible, Evolve USA, a nonprofit group that advocates for gun safety, told Sputnik

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd April, 2021) The problem of gun violence in the United States should be approached like that of drunk-driving by making people understand that it is wrong to be irresponsible, Evolve USA, a nonprofit group that advocates for gun safety, told Sputnik.

The debate over gun control measures has recently been reignited in the United States in the wake of numerous mass shootings across the country. In early April, the White House unveiled new actions to address recent mass shootings including a proposal to stop the spread of so-called ghost guns, which are those bought in parts and assembled by the buyer. Yet, the steps clearly fall short of the harsh actions background checks and a ban on assault weapons earlier promised by President Joe Biden.

"It's old-school marketing and should be approached like drunk-driving - making it not cool to be irresponsible. We need to engage people who sell and possess the guns. See something. Say something," the group, which was founded in 2013, after the deadly Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting, said.

The group, which mainly focuses on individual and voluntary actions to prevent shootings, says that it does not use politics to address gun violence.

"We believe that politicians should be able to cross the aisles to address this through the gun industry and influencers to change behaviors around safety, responsibility and guns. Politicizing the conversations has proven to be a path to ongoing polarization, and we don't do enough to mobilize the people who can make a change - the industry, manufacturers, owners," it said.

According to the group, the US is now entering an era of rising mental health issues, which will increase the rate of suicides and mass shootings.

"Biden should be looking for non-traditional pathways that have never been tried," it concluded.

The US has witnessed nearly 150 shootings since only the start of the year, according to the data from groups against gun violence. Last week, speaking of the deadly Indianapolis FedEx facility shooting, Biden called gun violence "a national embarrassment."