Safety in American schools in question

Photo taken on April 13, 2021 shows 40,000 white silk flowers installed on the National Mall to honor the nearly 40,000 Americans who die every year from gun violence in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

"No American school is safe. Nor are the streets," The Chicago Sun-Times said in an editorial on Thursday, given the number of school shootings across the country this year has reached 29.

CHICAGO, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A recent shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan has once again raised concerns about the safety in U.S. schools while the congress is still in dispute over the gun control issue.

"No American school is safe. Nor are the streets," The Chicago Sun-Times said in an editorial on Thursday, given the number of school shootings across the country this year has reached 29.

The editorial mentioned a deadly shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan on Tuesday which killed four students and injured seven.

The 15-year-old shooter, Ethan Crumbley, has been charged as an adult with four counts of first-degree murder and terrorism.

"It was the 651st mass shooting in America this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. By Thursday, the number was up to 652," said the media, adding that guns have been "saturating" U.S. communities.

The incident serves as a reminder that "lockdown drills do not forestall gun violence," said The New York Times on Thursday.

More than 95 percent of U.S. schools trained their students to deal with shootings before the COVID-19 pandemic took place, said The New York Times, adding that a growing number of parents and researchers have been questioning the drills.

"There hasn't been a strong body of evidence that these drills are helping," Megan Carolan, vice president of research at the Institute for Child Success, was quoted by The New York Times as saying.

College student Jennifer Estrada takes part in a rally for gun control and anti-racism, in El Paso of Texas, the United States, on Aug. 7, 2019. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

The country's political divide on gun control has hardly narrowed in the wake of the fatal shooting in Michigan.

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, requested unanimous consent on Thursday to pass the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021, which would require more background checks for gun transfers between private parties and extend a 10-day review for gun purchases and transfers, The Guardian said in a recent report.

However, Chuck Grassley, a leading Republican on the Senate judiciary committee, objected to the move, saying that it is "hostile towards lawful gun owners and lawful firearm transactions"

"So-called universal background checks will not prevent crime and will turn otherwise law-abiding citizens into criminals," Grassley was quoted by the British media as saying.

Murphy said the Republican Party cares "more about the health of the gun industry and their profits than they do about the health of our kids."

More than 18 million guns have been bought in the United States in 2021, reported The Chicago Sun-Times, adding that more than 41,000 people across the country have been killed by guns this year.