美国年轻人呼吁控枪

A police officer places flowers at the site of a mass shooting in Texas, US earlier this month. AFP

At least 26 people were killed and about 20 others injured during a mass shooting in a church in the town, reported CNN. The victims ranged in age from 5 to 72 years old. It was the “deadliest mass shooting in the history of Texas”, said CNN.
据CNN报道，在该城一座教堂中发生的大规模枪击案中，至少有26人丧生，约有20人受伤。受害者的年龄从5岁到72岁不等。CNN报道称，这是“得克萨斯州有史以来最致命的一场大规模枪击案”。

The attack came just around one month after a mass shooting in Las Vegas, the worst in modern US history, where 58 people were killed and more than 500 others injured, according to the Los Angeles Times.
据《洛杉矶时报》报道，这场袭击仅仅发生在拉斯维加斯枪击案一个月之后。拉斯维加斯枪击案是美国近代史中伤亡最严重的一个，共造成58人丧生，500多人受伤。

These events made the US people think, once again, about gun control issues.
这一系列事件让美国民众再次反思起控枪问题。

According to a Pew Research Center study in 2017, about 40 percent of Americans say they either have a gun or live in a household with one. And the US has the highest rate of killings related to guns in the developed world. Over 11,000 people in the US died as a result of firearms in 2016, reported the BBC.
据皮尤研究中心2017年发布的一份研究显示，约有40%的美国人表示他们自己或者家人持有枪支。在发达国家中，美国与枪击相关的死亡率是最高的。据BBC报道，2016年美国死于枪击的人数超过了11000人。

The large number of deaths involving guns has led to increased support for stricter gun control among young people. According to a study published by website Abodo in October, about 80 percent of US people aged 18 to 35 believe the country has a major problem with mass shootings. about 78 percent of young people think it’s too easy to buy a gun and 59 percent believe that gun violence would decrease if there were stricter gun laws, according to the study.
枪击事件所造成的大量死亡人数在年轻人中引起了越来越多要求更严格控枪的呼声。据Abodo网站10月发布的一份研究显示，在18-35岁的美国人中，约有80%认为大规模枪击案在这个国家是一大问题。78%的年轻人认为，（在美国）购买枪支过于容易，而有59%的年轻人相信，如果出台一部更严格的管理枪支的法律，枪击暴力将会减少。

Meanwhile, a GenForward survey published in 2016 found that about 90 percent of young American adults support criminal background checks for all gun sales.
与此同时，GenForward于2016年发布的一项调查发现，约有90%的美国年轻人支持在销售枪支时调查（购买者的）犯罪记录。

“Human behavior is predictable to a level, but also unpredictable,” Saajan Bhakta, 22, from Kansas, told the Guardian. “Being on top of it from the beginning helps prevent unnecessary events.”
“人类行为在某一层面上可以预见，但同时也是不可预测的，”现年22岁的Saajan Bhakta来自美国堪萨斯州，她在接受《卫报》采访时如此表示。”

However, the road to stricter gun control will certainly not be a smooth one.
然而，走向更严格的控枪之路绝不会一帆风顺。

The right of US people to carry guns is protected by the US constitution. Any US citizen (公民) over 21 without a criminal background or mental health problems can buy guns, which are even sold in supermarkets in some states.
美国人的持枪权利受到美国宪法的保护。任何已满21岁，没有犯罪记录或者心理问题的美国公民都可以购买枪支。在美国的一些州中，枪支甚至在超市中就能买到。

Meanwhile, owning guns has become part of American culture. Gun use can be traced back to the early days of colonization, when European settlers used guns for self-defense and hunting.
与此同时，持枪也成为了美国文化的一部分。（美国人的）持枪历史可以追溯回早期殖民时期，来自欧洲的移民者们持枪用于自卫以及狩猎。

However, gun control is only part of the wider effort to prevent violence. As news site Vox put it, “Gun control can’t stop all violence. But it can help.”
然而，控枪只是预防暴力的一部分。正如新闻网站Vox所说的那样，“控枪不能阻止所有的暴力。但它能够有所帮助”。