Armed in America

Armed in America

A spate of mass shootings amid record gun sales, especially among African-Americans and other minorities in the U.S., and a new president determined to stop the bloodshed. All of this as America’s most prominent gun group faces a threat to its existence.

In our Armed in America series, CGTN’s Owen Fairclough explores the facts on U.S. gun culture and policy.

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Armed in America
  • Grassroots organization strives to end gun violence in Chicago

    Last year was the deadliest for the U.S. city of Chicago in a quarter of a century. But one group, Chicago Cred, is working towards changing that at a grassroots level.

  • Fighting for peace and justice in Chicago

    In 2021, more than 50 children were shot and killed in the U.S. city of Chicago. A mother of one of those children killed is now calling for the National Guard to be sent in to try and solve the issue.

  • Preventing gun violence in Chicago

    The year 2021 was the deadliest for the U.S. city of Chicago in 25 years with nearly 800 homicides recorded. Here’s what you need to know about the issue of gun violence in Chicago.

  • Uvalde releases new police bodycam footage

    Texas officials have officials have released new video from the body camera of an Uvalde police officer, along with a 77-page scathing report calling their response a ‘systemic failure.

  • Uvalde shooting video released by Texas media

    Uvalde, Texas residents are demanding action, following the release of video from the Robb Elementary School shooting. The mayor is criticizing the move, as the video collects thousands of views, and the public demands answers.

  • Residents shocked after Highland Park shooting

    The shooting at a Fourth of July parade in the wealthy Chicago suburb, Highland Park, has rocked many people in the city. At least eight people are dead from the gunman’s bullets, while dozens of others are suffering from injuries. CGTN spoke with residents about the traumatic impact of the deadl...

  • Can we predict crimes before they happen?

    Social and data scientists have made an algorithm they say can predict crime a week in advance with 90% accuracy.

    The team, led by University of Chicago professor Ishanu Chattopadhyay, published its findings in the journal Nature Human Behavior.

    The algorithm utilized historical data on violent...

  • "So many little innocent bodies"

    Hear the full emotional plea by American actor Matthew McConaughey as he speaks from the White House podium about the lives lost in the mass shooting in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas.

    McConaughey says responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by deran...

  • Who owns the world's guns?

    Of the 1 billion guns in the world, more than 85 percent are in civilian hands, and of those, nearly 46 percent are in the United States alone, according to the Small Arms Survey at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland.

  • What are the red flag laws?

    The recent mass shootings at a primary school in Uvalde, Texas, and at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, have reignited calls for greater gun control measures in the U.S.

    Some are calling for an expansion of so-called ‘red flag’ gun laws that seek to block at-risk people from getting their han...

  • Why guns & ammunition stocks are spiking

    Stock prices are up for gun and ammunition makers in the United States ​in the wake of last week’s school shooting in Texas.

    Financial experts say that’s because history shows such a tragedy in the country typically leads to a spike in sales. As Americans rush to arm up before potential new rest...

  • "I grabbed the blood and I put it all over me”

    Emotional testimony from family members of victims and survivors of gun violence was delivered to a congressional committee in the US capital ​Wednesday, in the wake of the latestU.S. mass shootings.

    Families of victims pleaded with members of ​the House panel for stricter gun control, as Senate...

  • NRA blames 'evil' not 'guns' for Uvalde

    On the other side of Texas, the National Rifle Association wrapped up its three-day national convention in Houston.

    NRA officials expressed condolences to the families of the victims in Uvalde.

    But, as CGTN’s Franc Contreras reports, they remain steadfast in their rejection of gun control laws.

  • Can the U.S. ban assault rifles?

    Democrat lawmakers in the U.S. say they’re moving forward with a new ban on the kind of assault weapons used in the mass shootings at a Texas elementary school and a supermarket in the city of Buffalo.

    If passed, this would represent one of the toughest political responses to a string of mass sh...

  • Heartbreaking funerals of Uvalde victims

    The city of Uvalde, Texas only has two funeral homes, and one is right across the street from the Robb Elementary School where 19 children and two teachers were shot dead last week.

    CGTN's Ediz Tiyansan is in this small town as it works on healing itself and burying its dead.

  • Guns and the U.S. law

    After nearly four months in office devoted mostly to the pandemic, U.S. President Joe Biden has turned his attention to perhaps the single most polarizing topic in American life: guns.

    In the first two weeks of April, 96 Americans have been victims of mass shootings. Thirty of them died.

    CGTN’...

  • Gun market in Brazil is soaring

    Brazil’s gun market has soared in recent years following President ​Jair Bolsonaro’s actions to facilitate access.

    Those against such measures say more weapons bought in the name of safety will just make the country a more dangerous place.

    CGTN’s Paulo Cabral reports.

  • Mexico blames U.S. for illegal guns flow

    For the impact of the firearms trade on other countries – specifically Mexico, where officials estimate half a million gun​s are trafficked illegally across the southern border annually.

    CGTN’s Alasdair Baverstock reports.

  • Is it easy to sue gun manufacturers?

    The family of one of the children killed in the Texas elementary school shooting has signaled they plan to take legal action against the manufacturer of the gun used in the attack.

    It comes as a woman shot during an assault on a New York subway train is suing the makers of the weapon used again...

  • Why gun sales rise after mass shootings

    The attack by an 18-year-old gunman, who killed 21 people in Uvalde, Texas, has once again raised questions regarding U.S. gun laws.

    But attacks like this one also tend to raise gun sales, as CGTN's Dan Williams reports.

  • 9-year-old Uvalde shooting survivor

    May 24th will go down as the darkest day in the lives of the people of Uvalde, including the Fierro family, who thought they may never see their 9-year-old daughter, Eliana Izabela Fierro, again.

    Eliana tells of the horror she experienced.

  • Uvalde community in mourning

    The emotional damage resulting from the Uvalde school massacre cannot be measured. The people of that rural town in Texas know it’s impossible to put a price on the lives of their 21 loved ones killed there.

    CGTN’s Franc Contreras has a look at how some members of the community are dealing with...

  • Will red flag laws prevent gun violence?

    Recent mass shootings in the United States have intensified debates over the need for tougher gun control measures. In 2019, New York state passed a red flag law designed to ensure that those deemed a threat to themselves or others can’t acquire a firearm.

    But a deadly shooting in Buffalo this ...

  • How did the National Rifle Association get bankrupt?

    Few, if any, nonprofit organizations can match the clout of the National Rifle Association.

    It was founded 150 years ago and has been credited with both significant victories against gun control and helping to elect pro-gun presidents. But the NRA is in financial and legal trouble as it tries to...