US must confront gun violence, easy access to firearms – Mahama

Speaking at a meet-the-press session at the Jubilee House on Thursday, November 5, 2026, President Mahama said the incidents highlighted broader concerns about violence and mental health in American society.

His comments come after 15-year-old Ghanaian Javits Frimpong was shot dead in the Bronx, New York, and the body of 24-year-old Ghanaian caregiver Joseph Owusu was discovered near a dump site in the same city after he had been missing for two weeks.

Addressing the circumstances surrounding Frimpong’s death, the President said some accounts had attributed the shooting to bullying, although the New York Police Department (NYPD) was investigating the incident.

“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 pointed to the constitutional right to bear arms in the United States, arguing that it makes firearms readily accessible to members of the public.

“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 raised concerns about the growing mental health challenges associated with the pressures of modern life, warning that people experiencing psychological distress may not always show visible 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 said the level of gun violence was one of the major issues the United States needed to confront.

“So, one of the issues America has to deal with is the level of gun violence in their society,” President Mahama added.