LOS ANGELES -- The United States has experienced 44 mass shootings in 2023 as of Jan 29, the worst year on record since the Gun Violence Archive, a website that tracks shootings in the country, began tracking mass shootings in 2014.

On Jan 30, multiple shootings took place in the U.S. states of Texas, Illinois and Alabama in which many victims were minors.

Guns are deeply ingrained in U.S. society and the nation's political and social debates.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there were 641 mass shootings in the U.S. in 2022, the second-highest number following the 690 in 2021.

Just in the first week of the new year, three mass shootings occurred in California, killing more than 20 people.

A U.S. media report said that no place is safe from gun violence in the country. The article said that there are more than 100 people dead and over 200 others injured every day in firearm-related incidents. And firearms have become the leading cause of death among American children.