As far as I can see, gun control is going almost nowhere, at
least with the momentum that has been created by the increased gun violence
nationwide. Perhaps we have concentrated
too much on mass killings like Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. Although this kind of carnage is horrific, it
still represents but a small amount of the gun deaths that take place
daily. Apparently statistics like ‘there
are some 300 million guns in American households’ or ‘88.8 per 100 households’
does not impress the public. Hard to
believe but true.
Or the fact that in a comparison of the rate of private gun
ownership in 179 countries, the United States ranked No. 1, and with 10.3 gun
deaths per 100,000 population they are much higher than the United Kingdom, Australia,
Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the list
goes on and on. Could the fact that most
of these countries have measurably stronger gun control laws than the United
States have something to do with the results?
‘Absolutely not’ would be the answer from wacky Wayne LaPierre, head of
the NRA.
These are figures taken from GunPolicy.org,
a non-profit organization reporting on international firearm injury prevention
and policy. If you have any doubts about
my numbers I suggest you go to this site and do your own research. If you come away without the opinion that
America’s gun culture is completely out of control, then you are either a gun
worshipper, completely apathetic over the issue, or you have a terrible problem
with math. The truth is in the
statistics and in every case there is a monumental case for more gun control
laws in the U.S.
Harry J. Enten writing in the UK Guardian says, “Americans want gun control, but not badly enough.” His point one, “Most Americans don't see gun
control as the most significant way to prevent mass shootings.” Once again, mass gun violence, but it is
obvious that Enten has zeroed in on where the American focus is. He quotes, “only 25% of Americans believe
that stricter gun control laws and enforcement would be the key to preventing
massacres.“ Further, CBS News found, only
21% feel stricter gun control would prevent gun violence by much.
In point two, he laments that the subject of guns just isn’t
a high priority for most Americans. A
tragedy when you consider the daily reporting of people shot and killed with
guns, others injured, some seriously. In
the latest CBS News poll, only 4% listed guns at the top of their list. 50% chose the economy, jobs or the budget
deficit. It will be interesting in the
future to learn what the impact of continued and escalating gun violence will
have on the country’s economy and its overall well-being. If as bad as it looks, then it will be too
late.
Point three, most in the U.S. doesn’t feel gun control
legislation is a priority in 2013, only 46% according to Pew Research. With all the shootings and mayhem nationwide
connected to guns on the street, the American public says, mañana. Go figure.
And in point four, the public’s obsession with gun violence will
eventually dwindle, meaning, if we don’t do this in 2013, we’ll never do
it. And as my headline indicated, the UK
can criticize the United States because they have done what we cannot seem to
accomplish due to the gun lobby. Gun
laws in the UK:
They have a gun registry
Firearms are restricted
Right to gun ownership not
guaranteed by law
Assault weapons are banned
Handguns are banned
Background checks required
Number of guns and amount of
ammunition owned is restricted
As a result of the above regulations, below are comparisons
between the United States and the United Kingdom in gun violence:
US UK
All gun deaths per 100,000 population 10.3 0.25
Gun homicides per 100,000 pop. 3.6 0.04
Handgun homicides per 100,000 pop. 2.0 0.01
Gun suicides per 100,000 pop. 6.3 0.18
I rest my case.