Policy Alert #152 | October 10, 2017

On October 1, 2017, a shooter rained bullets from his hotel window at the Mandalay Bay Casino and Resort upon tens of thousands of attendees at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, NV. At least 59 people were killed and over 500 were wounded in one of the deadliest shootings in United States history. US President Donald Trump termed the attack as “an act of pure evil.” This week, we review the responses of the Rising Powers and other Asian states to this American tragedy.

JAPAN
In a phone call to President Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered his condolences for the victims of the shooting and their families, and reiterated that Japan is standing with the United States “one-hundred percent.” The Japanese media overwhelmingly condemn the country’s lax gun laws, a pattern that has persisted since the high-profile shooting death of a teenage Japanese exchange student in 1993.

• The conservative Yomiuri Shimbun criticized the “substantial gap between sensible arguments and the claims made by conservatives” regarding gun ownership and weapons regulations in US politics. The paper argued that US conservatives’ use of the Second Amendment as a defense for maintaining lax gun laws is inappropriate. “It is unreasonable that the provision, adopted under circumstances involving militias and the War of Independence, is used to justify the possession of arms for self-defense in a modern, advanced country where the military and police are well developed.”
• The liberal Mainichi Shimbun pointedly described the shooting as a “an indiscriminate act of terrorism” in which the shooter was playing a “murder game.” The Mainichi warned that the United States is cultivating “an environment susceptible to ‘lone wolf’ terrorist attacks” thanks to the country’s gun laws that allow “ordinary citizens being able to purchase the type of guns that are used in war.”
• The progressive Asahi Shimbun minced no words in its editorial on the shooting, saying “it is simply mind-boggling that such dangerous weapons still remain readily available in the United States.” The paper expressed its disgust with the continued success of gun lobbies in the US, despite the “many school shooting incidents and firearm accidents involving children and even toddlers.”
• In a Japan Times article that compared the differences between US and Japanese gun laws and rates of gun violence, Shigeo Sugawara, an advisor at the Technical Museum of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s Ordnance School, took an opposing view. He argued that Japan’s requirements for hunting licenses were too strict, equating police interviews of an applicant’s family and friends to “almost [a] violation of human rights.”

CHINA
Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his “deep sympathy to the US government and people” for the attack and sent wishes of “quick recovery to the injured” victims. The Chinese press highlighted the efforts of Chinese tourists and residents to help in the aftermath of the attack. Xinhua also provided wide coverage of other countries’ responses to the attack, including Indonesia, Poland, Iraq, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia.

• The nationalist Global Times lambasted the US government’s continued “let-it-slide” attitude toward mass shootings, and argued that the continued cycle of mass shootings is “the result of a system lacking firm or confident force required to reform its gun laws” against pro-gun lobbying groups.
• Deputy Editor of the state-directed China Daily Chen Weihua called for Americans to begin “soul-searching about the deep-rooted gun culture” in the wake of the tragedy. He also emphasized that US gun violence is repeatedly cited as a human rights violation in China’s State Information Office’s annual report on human rights abuses. Chen also warned that Chinese citizens are growing increasingly concerned with the state of gun violence in the US as more Chinese travel, work, and study in the country.
• The People’s Daily reported that restaurant owner Gui Tianyu and his wife, provided over 200 free meals to blood donors the day after the attack. The China Daily, meanwhile, interviewed tourists Zhuan Zhi and Chen Zhu, who took time out of their vacation to Salt Lake City to drive to Las Vegas to donate blood, and tour bus driver Henry Liu, who helped transport victims to area hospitals.

INDIA
Indian President Ram Nath Kovind offered his condolences in a tweet, “Distressed to hear about the shooting and deaths in Las Vegas. Condolences to bereaved families and prayers for the injured.The Las Vegas shooting grabbed Indian media headlines, with many noting and detailing the long series of previous mass killings in the United States. Several outlets contemplated the veracity of the initial claims by ISIS that the shooter was associated with it. Most of all, Indian commentary blamed the lack of gun control in the United States for gun violence,  with some highlighting the role of gun culture in the country as an obstacle.”

• Times of India US-based editor Chidanand Rajghatta offered a pessimistic view in his article, “Massacre in Las Vegas: Gambling on Gun Advocacy, US Loses Big Time as 59 Die in Carnage.” He criticized the “lax gun laws which allow people to own powerful automatic weapons that even law enforcement in many countries are not allowed to possess.” Rajghatta argued that the likelihood of any change in the wake of the attack was nil, even if “[t]here will be more agonizing over Second Amendment and gun control before matters recede, just like they do with fires and stampedes and railway accidents in India.”
• The liberal Indian Express gave a sweeping historical overview of American sentiment on guns beginning with pre-colonial days. Sonakshi Aswathi’s article noted that, “The shooting in Las Vegas has once again triggered a massive debate over gun control in the US.” However she pointed out that “Despite this trend, President Donald Trump signed a resolution that overturned the 2016 rule passed by Barack Obama which prevented thousands of people, having mental disorders, from owning firearms.”
• The left-leaning Hindu ran an editorial criticizing President Trump for pandering to pro-gun lobbies during his campaign through “fear-mongering.” The editorial team blamed the mass shooting on America’s lack of gun control. But it saw a broader cultural reason for the lack of success in curbing gun ownership: “The gun lobby’s multi-generational success in this regard is built upon a cultural proclivity for gun ownership rooted in the Second Amendment of the constitution. Until Americans apply reasonable, if not stringent, restrictions to gun ownership, they are unlikely to escape the regular visitation of such mass tragedies.”
• The liberal Hindustan Times in an editorial focused even more closely on the cultural element of guns in America. It pointed out that “The US’ love affair with the gun mystifies other developed nations. Americans, roughly 5% of the world’s population, own an estimated 35-40% of the planet’s entire civilian weapons.” It then went on to link the lack of progress on gun control to the cultural narrative of the white working class, Donald Trump’s support base. According to the editorial team, for the white working class,  “The logic of gun control is irrelevant. This class opposes the idea because it is seen as an attempt to further disempower them in a country where they feel increasingly marginalized.” It then went on to warn that unless this is addressed, “ the right to bear arms and presidents like Mr. Trump will remain fixtures of the US’ political landscape.”

RUSSIA
In a ceremony to welcome new US Ambassador Jon Huntsman, Russian President Vladimir Putin told him, “I would like to express my utmost and sincere condolences to the people and the administration of your country on this horrendous tragedy.” Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev posted on his Facebook page, “Russia shares the grief of those who lost their next-of-kin and conveys words of sympathy and support. We wish an early recovery to the injured.” The Russian media were particularly interested in rates of US gun ownership and inaction by the government to curtail gun violence.

• In an interview with government-funded RT, Member of Parliament (MP) Anatoly Vyborny of the United Russia party argued that the United States’ “‘let survivors live’ path is not for us” and called for the creation of a single database of gun owners and registered weapons in Russia. MP Vyborny also reported that the Russian National Guard was drafting a bill to require the registration, but not licensing, of air guns as a “restraining and disciplinary factor.”
• State-owned Sputnik News was particularly unforgiving of US gun laws. In one article, Sputnik highlighted statistics of US gun ownership: that US gun owners account for 42% of all civilian firearm owners in the world, and that American “super owners” account for almost 50% of all guns in the US, averaging 17 firearms each. The news organization also interviewed Georgia State University law professor Timothy Lytton, University of Pittsburgh professor of international affairs Michael Brenner, and University of Illinois professor of law Francis Boyle to discuss why changes to US gun ownership laws are unlikely.
• The nationalist news organization Pravda utilized, and retained, the misleading headline, “Las Vegas Concert Goers killed by Islamic State Warrior” in one of their early reports on the shooting. Terrorist organization ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, but the FBI has not found evidence of a connection.

BRAZIL
EBC Brazil Agency published the official statement released by the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in response to the attack. According to the statement, the country condemns this act of violence and expresses consternation and regret at the families of the victims, extending their wishes for full and speedy recovery to the wounded”. The journal pointed that there were no Brazilians among the victims and that an official phone number was made available for further clarification.

The growth of violence in all regions of Brazil, notably the succession of events that the citizens of Rio de Janeiro experienced a few weeks ago and related to the gang dispute for control of drug trafficking in the “Rocinha” favela, has fueled the debate on the legalization of gun possession in Brazil.  News outlets focused on the obstacles that gun control advocates in the US are likely to face.

• The Exame Magazine noted that President Trump may face new arguments against the trade of firearms. It reminded that Trump was supported in the election campaign by the largest American organization that defends the right to own firearms, the National Rifle Association (NRA): “You have a true friend in the White House (…). You supported me, I will support you,” he said, one hundred days after he became the leader of the nation in an unusual appearance by a sitting president at the NRA.
• São Paulo’s daily newspaper Estadão reported that recent public opinion polls indicate that most Americans are in favor of tightening the legislation that regulates the purchasing of guns. Citing the speech of the Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, from Connecticut, where another gun shooting occurred in 2012, it emphasized that the members of the U.S. Congress usually avoid taking part in the dispute due to the power of the lobbyists from the gun industry and that such behavior may now be considered unacceptable.

CAMBODIA
Although he offered his condolences for the victims of the shooting, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen also expressed his frustration with the United States’ foreign policies regarding his country. In mid-September, the US State Department issued a warning to American travelers heading to Cambodia due to “increased anti-American rhetoric.” “When the US ambassador called for Americans to be careful in Cambodia, it did not happen in Cambodia but on US soil. Yet the US is the one who made the appeal. This is the mocking of fate,” he said. Prime Minister Hun Sen also warned Cambodians in the US to be careful as the country was “not secure or stable.”

SOUTH KOREA
South Korean President Moon Jae-In sent a message of condolence to President Trump, “Representing the Republic of Korea and the Korean people, I express our deepest condolences for the tragic and shocking shooting incident in Las Vegas that left so many innocent people dead.” The Korean media was relatively unconcerned with the shooting, focusing its attention instead on the missteps between President Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson over the handling of escalating tensions between North Korea and the United States.

SOUTH AFRICA
The Department of International Relations Cooperation reported that South African President Jacob Zuma “extended the country’s condolences to the government and the people of the United States of America.”

TURKEY
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan took to Twitter to respond to the attack. “I condemn in the strongest terms possible today’s terror attack in Las Vegas. I sincerely hope that such attacks won’t happen in the future. On behalf of the Turkish people, I offer my condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims and all Americans.”

INDONESIA
Indonesian President Joko Widodo condemned the “act of terror that left so many people dead and wounded,” and expressed his confidence that the US government would be “strong in the face of such a terror act.”

SRI LANKA
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena tweeted that the Las Vegas “shooting is a heinous act. My sympathies are with loved ones of the victims and the people of United States in this hour of grief.”

THAILAND
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand issued a statement of condolence to the United States over the shooting. “The Government and the people of the Kingdom of Thailand extend our deepest condolences to the innocent victims of the heartless mass shooting in Las Vegas and their families.  We stand with them and the American people in this difficult time and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured.”

PHILIPPINES
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella offered condolences from the Philippines. “We join the peace-loving people of the international community in denouncing this latest act of violence,” and “extend our deepest condolences to the families of a more than 50 victims who died because of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. We likewise pray for the speedy recovery of the more than 500 people who are reported injured.”

MALAYSIA
Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a statement in response to the shooting. “The government of Malaysia extends its deepest condolence to the government and people of the United States of America, and especially to the families of the victims.”

 

RPI acknowledges support from the MacArthur Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York for its activities.