Gun Violence in America
Gun Violence in America
By Yerin Lee
Every year, 38,000 people die from gun violence in America. Every day, more than 100 people die and more than 200 people get injured because of guns. The US gun homicide rate is 25 times higher than other high-income countries such as Canada, Denmark, Germany and Australia. On average, there are around one mass shooting every day in America – in 2019, there were 337 mass shootings in total. Firearms are one of the leading causes of children's and teens’ deaths in America – the number of minors dead because of firearms is almost as same as that of minors dead because of traffic accidents. These statistics show that gun violence is a major social problem in the US. Then, why is it difficult to control guns in the US?
First, the second amendment of the US constitution assures the right to bear arms. It was enacted in 1791 to offer the citizens the rights to fight back against the tyrannical government, but its meaning changed since the reason why the citizens arm themselves changed - now they protect themselves in normal days instead against fighting back at a battle. The law has influenced people’s attitudes on guns and the politics related to it. There have been various interpretations by different experts, but apparently it is the ultimate defense against implementing strict gun laws. Also, there is a group asserting that all laws that restrict guns violate the second amendment – NRA, the National Rifle Association.
The NRA has been the major roadblock to gun control attempts. It was founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, but nowadays it focuses on advocating gun rights, arguing that more guns make the country safer. Its lobbying began in 1934, supporting the National Firearms Act of 1934. After it supported another gun control act, the Gun Control Act of 1968, the group started to affect the policies directly. It formed its own Political Action Committee and started raising funds. The NRA officially spends about 3 million dollars per year to affect gun policy. Using this money, it has lobbied against all forms of gun control. It supports legislation that expands gun rights, such as the law that allows gun owners to carry their weapons in public places. Also, the NRA considerably influences its members by leading them to vote on the favorable sides for gun advocacy. This leads to more politicians making more policies that defend gun rights.
Many statistics show that what NRA claims, that more guns make the country safer, is false. First, the states with the most guns report the most suicides. Alaska, the state with the highest gun ownership rate, has the second-highest suicide rate among 50 states. New Jersey, the state with the lowest gun ownership rate, has the fourth-lowest suicide rate. Also, states with tighter gun control laws have fewer gun-related deaths. California, the state with the tightest gun control laws, has the seventh-lowest gun death rate. Mississippi, the state with the least tight gun control laws, has the highest gun death rate. Therefore, to make the US society safer, reducing the number of guns is important.
To help make the US society safer, citizens should fund gun violence researches to inform the effects of guns. Also, they should pass gun laws that actually reduce gun violence. Ending legal immunity for gun manufacturers and establishing a culture of gun safety will help. Providing support for survivors of gun violence and investing in violence-prevention programs will be helpful, too. Also, giving attention and concern from all countries might help.
Being Korean, many people will wonder why we should give attention to gun problems in the US. First of all, a global citizen must give attention to social problems even if he or she is from other countries. Also, gun problems in the US might influence Koreans living in the US. Losing someone whom we love is a catastrophe. Paying attention to the gun problems in the US will not only give victims of violence hope and comfort, but also prevent lives from being lost in the future.
Sources from
Gifford https://giffords.org/gun-violence-statistics/#national-anchor
Everytown Research https://everytownresearch.org/report/gun-violence-in-america/
Vox https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/2/16399418/us-gun-violence-statistics-maps-charts
CGTN https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414e7763444d77457a6333566d54/index.html
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Rifle_Association
BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35261394
World Population Review https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/gun-ownership-by-state
US Today https://www.usatoday.com/list/news/depression-suicide-by-state/346e182d-d439-4448-b8d9-a0233a45f598/
Time https://time.com/5209901/gun-violence-america-reduction/
Prevention Institute https://www.preventioninstitute.org/focus-areas/preventing-violence-and-reducing-injury/preventing-violence-advocacy
Giffords https://giffords.org/gun-violence-statistics/#national-anchor
CBS News https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mass-shootings-2019-more-than-days-365/
Census https://www.census.gov/glossary/#term_Populationestimates