The Brooklyn
subway shooting on Tuesday, April 12, has once again brought the spotlight on
gun violence in New York. A total of 296 incidents of gun violence have been
reported in The Big Apple in 2022 so far, a sharp rise from 260 such incidents
by the same time last year. The subway incident has caused anxieties about the
city’s safety situation to resurface with politicians pledging that they will
not tolerate any more of this. The subway incident, in which at least 23 people
were injured after a man wearing a gas mask opened fire on a Brooklyn N train,
is making New Yorkers shudder in fear.

Also Read | Brooklyn subway shooting: A blow-by-blow account

Back in the 1980s,
the New York subway was a den of anarchic forces. Violent crime and vandalism
ruled the roost. But like much of the city, the subway too cleaned up its act.
Prior to the pandemic, the biggest problem for the New York subway was
overcrowding. Now, violence on the subway has returned to haunt New Yorkers.

At the beginning
of the year, New Yorkers were shocked to learn that a 40-year-old woman was
shoved into the train tracks by a disturbed stranger. The incident saw Eric
Adams, the New York mayor, vow that residents will feel safe on the city’s
subway.

Also Read | ‘We’re not letting up’ until suspect is found: Joe Biden on Brooklyn shooting

Tuesday’s incident
is a stark reminder that way more needs to be done. At the core of the current
crisis is also America’s gun culture. A survey carried out last year found that
one in three Americans say they own guns.  

The gun craze is
legitimised through the US’ Second Amendment.

The Second
Amendment to the US Constitution reads: “A well-regulated Militia, being
necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and
bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Gun enthusiasts look upon this legislation
as the state’s nod to individual gun ownership. The gun lobby too cites this
law for its overwhelming presence in American culture.

Also Read | Anxieties resurface as gunfire erupts in New York City subway

But there are also
those who feel that the legislation is archaic and while significant in context,
it no longer remains necessary for civilians to bear arms. With gun violence
becoming one of the biggest problems in the US, there are calls to regulate gun
ownership more effectively.

Further, a Fox
News report showed that so far in 2022, most violent incidents were carried out
by repeat offenders as well as in specific neighbourhoods. Nearly half of all
New York shootings have occurred in 10 neighbourhoods – five in the Bronx, four
in Brooklyn and one in Queens.

Keechant Sewell, commissioner
of the New York Police Department, was quoted saying: “It’s clear what we are
confronting: A perception among criminals that there are no consequences, even
for serious crime.” Incidents of shooting in New York City have gone up 2%,
rising to 1,546. Murders have gone up from 468 to 480.