Commentary: Fatal gang shootout stark reminder of failed U.S. gun policy

The bloody brawl between rival biker gangs in southern U.S. state of Texas made headlines over the weekend, with nine deaths and 18 injuries. However, as the deadly incident points inevitably to rampant gang violence, one cannot ignore the underlying social problem that is dividing and overwhelming communities in the United States -- gun violence.

For the moment, much efforts have been focused on piecing together the details of the circumstances surrounding the Sunday melee involving some 170 rival motorcycle gang members, who are charged on Monday with engaging in organized crime. It's only natural to examine another important prism that has stood out: what can be done to prevent further outbursts?

Gang violence is by no means new to the United States. By one estimate, 55 percent murders in the country in 2014 were linked to gangs.

Police in gang-plagued cities have been using an array of tactics trying to clamp down on such scourge - playing tough, targeting "hot spots" and locating gang members to talk them out of committing murders. Some are helpful, others are not.

While some of these strategies are helpful, one importance piece is missing, that is, a stricter gun control legislation. With limited access to guns, gangs would become less violent, and less lethal.

Japan, which has the lowest gun-homicide rate in the world -- 1 in 10 million -- has in place highly restrictive firearm regulations. Most guns are illegal in the country.

The United Kingdom, banning all handguns with few exceptions, also saw a sharp reduction in homicide rates.

It is no wonder that the United States, with 300 millions guns in circulation, has a murder rate several times that of other western countries. High gun ownership is also blamed for the excessive use of force by U.S. law enforcement. If there are fewer firearms, it would be a totally different picture.

Unfortunately, the U.S. government, hamstrung by the bipartisan gridlock, is too effete to take action against the powerful gun lobbying group that holds considerable sway over lawmakers.

Even the slightest change in gun control legislation would meet the most adamant opposition.

"The weakest link in our anti-crime, anti-gang strategy is the gun laws," said Rahm Emanuel, mayor of Chicago, which is dubbed the U.S. gang capital.

At one point in 2008, when gang violence was at its peak, Chicago witnessed at least 36 shootings - 15 of them gang-related - and nine deaths during a weekend.

Such impotency on the part of the U.S. politicians has led to the botched anti-gang strategy which has failed to check the proliferation of gangs. Gang culture is poisonous, as it brings fear and violence to communities, the very fabric of any society.

It is no surprise then to see gang-besieged neighborhoods crippled by and coupled with economic and physical doom: streets are dilapidated, businesses wither and people are afraid to go outside and use public utilities. As these communities fade into oblivion, the bond that is supposed to hold communities together also weakens.

As U.S. economy roars back to life, its people deserve safer and violence-free communities. This requires a drastic change in its "politically correct" gun policy, which is long overdue. Endite