Here’s the thing. I understand everyone wants to be protected, I want to feel safe living in the United States just as much as everyone else, but I am conflicted based on the so called safety that guns provide. If an individual wants to kill another human being, they have a multitude of ways they can go; they could strangle their victim, stab them, slit their throat, bash their skull in, or poison them. There is not a shortage of ways to end someone’s life.
Now where am I going with this?
According to EveryTown Research for Gun Safety, Americans are 25 times more likely to be murdered with a gun than people of other developed countries.
This means that if an individual has intentions of murdering someone owning a gun makes it that much easier to go through with it. Strangling, stabbing, beating someone is that much more personal, looking into that persons eyes and using your own strength to kill them requires real intent.
According to Gun Violence Archive, in 2016 alone approximately 1,072 incidents of accidental shootings have been reported and verified. That is about 214 people accidentally shot a month, 7 per day.
There is nothing wrong with a law-abiding citizen owning a gun to protect their family or even for sport. But all too often guns end up in the wrong place and innocent American’s pay that price.
According to United States Law’s website, there are an estimated 250-280 million firearms in the United States. A high percentage of those were obtained illegally.
The problem in the US is that the background checks and requirements to get a gun are not strict enough or non-existent and the illegal gun trafficking is putting guns into dangerous hands. Certain states require a background check for someone buying a gun legally, however there is no way to deter that person from turning around and selling that legally purchased gun to an individual online or at a gun show, that is how guns end up in places they shouldn’t.
In countries like the Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, Germany, New Zealand, Ireland, Australia and Canada in order to purchase a gun an individual must have a reason for purchase, pass a safety training, obtain a license, and have proper storage and registration of the gun.
According to NRA-ILA Institute for Legislative Action, 12 of the 50 states require some combination of registration, permit to purchase, licensing and permit’s to carry. One state requires all four. That means 74% of States have inadequate requirements for purchasing a gun; as long as you’re over 21 you are good.
USA Today reported that in 2013, Iowa granted permits to acquire or carry guns in public to people who are legally or completely blind. I understand we should not be compromising individual’s safety based on their abilities but gun safety should be taken with a little more care.
My point is… It is must easier to kill someone with the pull of a trigger than it is any other way to kill, guns should be treated with a higher level of careful regulation and concern.
For more information watch this very powerful video, although be mindful of the sources I feel some of the data might be outdated and skewed, always watch and read with an active mind.
Sources:
EveryTown Research: http://everytown.org/
Gun Violence Archive: http://www.gunviolencearchive.org/
United States Laws: http://gun.laws.com/gun-laws
Gun Policy: http://www.gunpolicy.org/
NRA-ILA Institute for Legislative Action: https://www.nraila.org/gun-laws/state-gun-laws/
USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/...
