A Closer Look: America's mass shooting epidemic

The National hears from the head of the Washington DC bureau Tom Watkins

A Closer Look is The National's show where we take an in-depth look at one of the main stories of the week.

Gun crime is a danger that residents in the UAE have no fear of ever encountering while in the Emirates. But across the globe, US residents live in the knowledge that every day, a mass shooting is carried out on home soil.

In the last 10 days alone, a shooting at a party in Alabama has left four teenagers dead, and in Kentucky a bank employee killed five of his colleagues.

However, many who live among the roughly 350 million guns owned in America also tend to look towards the Middle East with criticism about violence and gun death.

This week, the head of The National's Washington DC bureau, Tom Watkins, visited Abu Dhabi and had a chance to look back at his adopted home. With fresh perspective he recounts the reality of living in a country with a worsening gun problem, and very little being done about it.

You can read a more detailed account of Tom's experience here.

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Speaking out about gun violence: in pictures

Miguel Cerrillo, father of Miah Cerrillo, a grade four pupil at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, wipes away tears as he speaks during a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on gun violence on Capitol Hill in Washington. EPA

Miah, who survived the mass shooting, appears on a screen during the hearing. The New York Times / AP

Felix and Kimberly Rubio, parents of Lexi Rubio, 10, a victim of the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, speak before the committee. The New York Times / AP

Congressman Pete Aguilar speaks with reporters about Democratic efforts to curb gun violence following the mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York. AP

Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries and Congresswoman Lucy McBath talk to reporters about Democratic efforts to curb gun violence. AP

Ms McBath's son, Jordan, was killed by gun violence in 2012. AP

Activists rally in Washington outside the US Capitol demanding action from Congress. AFP

Activists hold up a sign outside the US Capitol. AP

Representative Carolyn Maloney speaks during the committee hearing. Reuters

Greg Jackson, executive director of the Community Justice Action Fund, speaks during the committee hearing. Reuters

Activists protest near Capitol Hill on Wednesday before the March for Our Lives demonstration, which will take place on Saturday. AFP

Gun control activists hold up signs in Washington. AFP

Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia speaks during the hearing. EPA

National Education Association President Becky Pringle speaks during the hearing on gun violence. EPA

Nick Suplina, senior vice president for law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety, speaks before the committee. Reuters

Activists rally against gun violence on Wednesday in Washington. AFP

Activists wear orange, a colour representing gun violence in the US. AFP

New York City Mayor Eric Adams appears before the committee. EPA

Dr Roy Guerrero, a paediatrician from Uvalde, Texas, speaks before the committee. The New York Times / AP

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, second row right, listens to survivors of gun violence. EPA

Zeneta Everhart, mother of Zaire Goodman, who was injured in the Buffalo, New York, shooting, said that her son's leg is riddled with shrapnel. EPA

Representative Robin Kelly tears up during the hearing on gun violence. EPA

Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz was one of many who became emotional during the hearing. EPA

Lucretia Hughes, of DC Project - Women for Gun Rights, becomes emotional during the hearing. AP

Republicans Jim Jordan and James Comer confer during the hearing. Reuters

Gabby Giffords, a former Democratic US representative, speaks during the opening of the Gun Violence Memorial on the National Mall in Washington on Tuesday. Ms Giffords was shot at a political rally in Tucson, Arizona, in 2011. AFP