America’s fatal attraction to firearms

Armed nobodies with a death wish and murderous intent are souring the American dream

Mourners in Orlando remember their friends at a vigil Picture: Joe Raedle/Getty

It is quite extraordinary how all of the US’s headline problems should have coalesced in the single moment of the mass murder in Florida. Terrorism, the crisis with radical Islam, gun control and gay rights all came together in a blood-soaked incident that even spilled over into the presidential election.

Quite apart from all the other considerations, isn’t it truly terrifying the impact that a single man, armed with a semi-automatic assault rifle ...