‘Guns will never go’ - How America's deadliest shooting has divided a nation

More than three months have passed since a lone gunman opened fire at a crowd of 22,000 people at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas.

It was the deadliest mass shooting in American history.

64-year-old Stephen Paddock became the deadliest gunman overnight after shooting multiple machine guns from his bedroom at the Mandalay Bay resort.

Since the massacre, reporter Siôn Jenkins, for ITV Wales’ Current Affairs programme, Ein Byd (Our World), travelled to Las Vegas.

He spoke to Welsh families who live just a stones throw away from the strip to understand more about the controversial subject of gun laws.

Gwennan Turner, originally from Aberystwyth, moved to Las Vegas ten years ago and lives just 30 minutes from the Mandalay Bay resort. She lives with her husband and five children,“It was very shocking, very sad and especially because it was so close to home.”

Her daughter, Catrin, says she woke up to her phone "buzzing non-stop" and hundreds of messages from friends and family concerned for their safety.

Gwennan is against keeping guns in her home but says having guns in the country is part of the American psyche. “I can’t envisage a day when there won’t be any guns in America. Most of our friends have a gun and most of them for protection or defence.”

Americans own around 265 million guns - more than one gun for every adult in the country - and Gwyn Davies, originally from Bethesda in Gwynedd, is one of them. He moved to Las Vegas more than 30 years ago and keeps several firearms in his home including a handgun, long rifle and a replica of an assault rifle he used while in the army.

Gwyn Davies, originally from Gwynedd, owns three guns . Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

He was at home the night of October 1st, but says stricter gun laws wouldn’t have made a bit of difference.

Gwyn keeps his guns for fun and sees shooting just like any other hobby.

He says he has never kept a gun with the intention of using it for defence.

But for many, that’s exactly why they keep them. Under the Second Amendment, US residents have a basic right to buy and carry guns.

America’s gun laws have come under scrutiny since the attack. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

Since the massacre, America’s gun laws have come under scrutiny, especially as Nevada is known to have some of the most relaxed gun laws in the country.

In light of this, Ein Byd visited a gun store with Catrin Turner to see how easy it is to buy a firearm:

What are the rules when buying a gun in America?

  • You must be a US resident

  • You must be 18+

  • You must have a background check - which looks into your criminal history, mental health and whether you’ve been a drug dependant. It takes around 10 minutes to complete.

  • If you buy a gun from a private collector - you don’t need to have a background check.

You can see the full programme in the new series, Ein Byd (Our World), Tuesday at 9:30pm on S4C. The programme has English subtitles.