I never realized this until studying abroad in England this semester, but the United States of America is truly one of the most violent countries in the world. People are beginning to take advantage of rights that were put in place to protect us. It only takes one person to ruin these rights for everyone and change the literal meaning of "right". Having a gun is a right, not a privilege. The US takes a huge part in the media all over the world, it makes up one third of international media. And with all of the violence in the last decade, we aren't exactly making a good name for ourselves.

Now that I'm in the UK, I've taken it upon myself to do some research. Let's look at the picture violence statistics:

Violent Crime Rates-

UK: 821,957

US: 1,203,564

If these numbers don't scare you, you probably haven't taken into account that these are the only acts of violence that are actually reported, millions of acts of violence go unnoticed and unreported every year.

In the US' definition of violent crime, assault is not listed. No wonder why we don't think crime is an issue in our country. In other countries like England, assault is included in their definition, so that is why it seems as though the crime rates are higher in other countries. We are blind to the world that we are living in and make it seem as if it is okay to assault/murder/torture other people just because we have the "right" to weapons.

Robberies-

UK: 76,179

US: 354,396

That's more than 3x the amount. Yes, the UK has a smaller population than the United States does, but that does not mean that it is acceptable for these robberies and statistics to be overlooked.

Homicides-

UK: 642

US: 14,612

You are 4x more likely to get murdered in the US than in the UK (if you use a formula to take into considering that population difference I spoke of earlier). The homicide rates in England and Wales are up 14%, and they still don't even come close to our whopping number.

Rape of a Female-

UK: 14,624

US: 83,425

Also, the US only includes "forcible rape" in their definition of violence. That is cutting out all other rape. We are living in a culture where rape is not a problem. Sex and rape are not the same thing, contrary to popular opinion of the uneducated.

Fatal Shootings-

UK: 55

US: 14,612

Statistically, you are 35x more likely to be shot dead in the US than in the UK.

Long story short: here are some points to take away from my babbling on-

Guns do not "make us safer" anymore. This myth is portrayed in movies and video games and TV shows that we watch on a daily basis, so no wonder we think this is true. But, when there are thousands of deaths and injuries due to guns annually, we can't take our Right to Bare Arms for granted. More than anything, the suicide rate is going up in the nation due to the accessibility to guns. Out of all the deaths in the United States in 2013, nearly 2% were related to firearms. In a study done in 2010, $516 million goes to hospital costs due to firearms.

Gangs are becoming more and more prevalent because of our casualization of guns and violence. Biker gangs are coming back into the picture. And it's not just about intimidation and leather anymore.

Mass shootings aren't our only problem. Although the media likes to stress the amount of mass shootings that happen in the US, they only are a small percentage of the violent outbreaks we face. There was a fall in the amount of mass shootings from 1994-2007. But then from 2007 to the present, there has been a huge incline.

The United Kingdom might be the second highest violent country in Europe, but it doesn't come into comparison with the violence of the United States.

Crime in the US has been reported since colonization. Current crime rates are at the rate that they were in the 1960s. Despite the websites that are provided to educate people on the Gun Violence and the statistics of it, no changes are being made. Rape is still perceived as a joke, and is used as slang on a daily basis. People don't pay attention to suicide victims. Robberies can happen anywhere and everywhere. But here we are ready to whip out our phones for Snapchat when there's a fight going on. I agree with the British when I say, "those bloody Americans!"