US must confront gun violence, easy access to firearms – Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has expressed concern over the high incidence of gun violence in the United States, describing its gun culture and widespread access to firearms as major challenges following the deaths of two Ghanaians in New York.
Speaking at a meet-the-press session at the Jubilee House on Thursday, November 5, 2026, President Mahama said the incidents had drawn attention to wider concerns about violence and mental health in American society.
His remarks follow the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Ghanaian Javits Frimpong in the Bronx, New York, and the discovery of the body of 24-year-old Ghanaian caregiver Joseph Owusu near a dumpsite in the same city. Mr Owusu had been missing for two weeks.
Commenting on Frimpong’s death, the President said some accounts had linked the shooting to bullying, although the New York Police Department (NYPD) was investigating the circumstances.
“Some ascribe it to bullying, but of course the NYPD is investigating it. But two things the American people have to reckon with are the violent nature of their society, especially gun violence,” he said.
Mr Mahama cited the constitutional right to bear arms in the United States, arguing that it allows people to obtain firearms relatively easily.
“It is part of the amendments in their constitution that give citizens the right to bear arms. So, anybody can go to a gun shop to buy one,” he said.
The President also highlighted the growing mental health challenges associated with the pressures of modern life, warning that people experiencing psychological distress may not always show outward signs of their struggles.
“In the world today, there are so many stress factors of modern living, so mental health is becoming a major crisis. Sometimes, someone is stressed, but he is well dressed, and you will think that everything is okay. The day you realise that something is wrong, they may have guns shooting people,” he said.
He stressed that the prevalence of gun violence remained one of the major challenges confronting American society.
“So, one of the issues America has to deal with is the level of gun violence in their society,” President Mahama added.
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