Gun sales, a debate that poisons America

The AR-15, a weapon originally designed for military combat, belonged to the father of the man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump. He had purchased it legally. It is also the weapon of choice for American mass shooters. The AR-15 alone accounts for a quarter of gun sales in the United States, a country where the right to bear arms is enshrined in the Constitution, and where ammunition can now be purchased in vending machines.

Since the beginning of 2024, a handful of these machines have been installed in three states. An ease of purchase that is not unanimous. A majority of Americans today think that laws on the sale of weapons should be stricter. But even Barack Obama’s tears in 2016 had not succeeded in moving the lines.

Several reforms aimed at restricting access to weapons have been blocked by Republican elected officials. “The irony is that Donald Trump himself is someone who has fought hard for what he calls the freedom (…) to own firearms.”comments Jérôme Viala-Gaudrefroy, a specialist in the United States.