The gun laws in Kansas, the US state where Indian IT engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla was shot dead allegedly by a Navy veteran, have been described as “abysmal” by a leading American organisation working to counter gun violence.
It received an ‘F’ last year from the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence in its report grading the 50 American states. Kansas ranked 48.
Kuchibhotla, 32, died in hospital on Wednesday after he was shot by 51-year-old Adam Purinton at the Austins Bar and Grill in Olathe city. His colleague, Alok Madasani, who was injured in the shooting, was released from hospital the following day.
Purinton was captured in adjacent Missouri state several hours later and charged with first-degree premeditated murder.
In its latest scorecard, the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence said, “In 2016, Kansas weakened its already abysmal gun laws by prohibiting employers from imposing restrictions on employees carrying concealed guns at work.”
Kansas does not require background checks on private sales of firearms or allow local governments to pass gun laws. It also lets people carry concealed firearms without a permit, the center said.
In 2013, Kansas ranked 26 out of 50 states in the number of gun deaths per capita. Four years earlier, it ranked 21 in the crime gun export rate, or the rate for guns purchased in Kansas but recovered after criminal use in other states.
{{/usCountry}}In 2013, Kansas ranked 26 out of 50 states in the number of gun deaths per capita. Four years earlier, it ranked 21 in the crime gun export rate, or the rate for guns purchased in Kansas but recovered after criminal use in other states.
{{/usCountry}}Kansas recorded 1,666 deaths from firearms between 2010 and 2014, the Center reported.
Gun control was a key issue during last year’s US presidential campaign, especially after a spate of deadly shootings. President Donald Trump had repeatedly said during his campaign that he would protect the Second Amendment, which allows US citizens to keep and bear arms.