On the first weekend of August, the U.S. was shocked by two mass shootings within 24 hours, in which over two dozen innocent people lost their lives. Gun violence, which happened occasionally in the U.S. over the past decades, now happens at a high frequency. People are worried mass gun shootings will trigger a new round of social problems in the U.S. A Xinhua News Agency commentary on August 4 pointed out that the shootings have caused deep psychological wounds to U.S. society. Below are excerpts from the commentary:

Mass shootings, which have become chillingly common nationwide in the U.S., are once again unveiling many deep scars, new and old, in U.S. society.

At least 20 people were killed on August 3 amid back-to-school shopping in El Paso in western Texas.

Hours after the massacre, police confirmed that nine people had been killed and at least 16 more hospitalized with injuries in a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio.

In less than 10 days, shootings occurred in South Haven, Mississippi, Gilroy, California and Brooklyn, New York, taking the lives of dozens of innocent people.

All over the world, people are looking at the U.S. and wondering what is going on. Why, time after time, is the U.S. seeing such indescribable horror?

Again, frequent mass shootings are revealing the inconvenient truths about U.S. society, with gun control being top of the list.

Gun violence, especially mass shootings, is such a high-profile issue that each tragedy sparks nationwide and even worldwide discussion, but is left in the dust bin when things return to normal.

In the U.S., the issue of gun use is deeply intertwined with group interests, and calls for stricter gun control are largely silenced by powerful parties and blocs. Public opinion appears to be of little significance in the face of interest groups.

Therefore, the discussion of gun control in the U.S. has been formalistic, without any progress to push the country to a safer situation where people can feel relieved.

The reasons behind a growing number of social problems in the U.S. are also creating conditions for gun abuse.

For instance, the income gap between the rich and poor continues to widen. Social tensions have become more acute. U.S. society is gradually becoming fragmented, and some groups are increasingly being marginalized. All these factors may cause psychological problems among certain people and eventually take a toll on U.S. society in the form of different types of violence, including mass shootings.

According to a report released by the U.S. Secret Service recently, in their lives in the five years preceding attacks, most perpetrators had at least one significant stressor, such as divorce, job loss or homelessness. The report demonstrated that social problems are the most significant cause of shootings in the U.S.

It is still under investigation whether the attacker in the August 3 shooting in Texas was motivated by racial hatred. U.S. media quoted the police as saying that the shooting was related to "a possible hate crime." According to other media reports, the gunman published a manifesto which revealed he was a white supremacy.

Even though the authenticity of relevant information is still to be confirmed, rising racism and increasing conflicts between different ethnic groups are part of the reality of U.S. society as well as causes of many mass shootings.

For instance, both of the attackers at synagogues in southern California in April and synagogues in Pittsburgh in October 2018 were white, and were reported to be antisemitic.

All the above indicates that U.S. society is haunted by dissatisfaction and hatred. The increasing phenomenon of "shooting due to the slightest discontent" is worrying U.S. people.

Can heavy gunfire and loss of innocent lives stimulate the authorities to face and solve various problems in U.S. society?

What is certain is that the bloodbath in Texas won't be the last one if the U.S. Government fails to solve social problems and turns a blind eye to expanding social divergence and violence.

Copyedited by Rebeca Toledo

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