The Tragedy of High Gun Violence Rates in America
by Owen Borville
July 20, 2024
Politics
The tragedy of high gun violence in America simply will not go away, and those in authority refuse to change anything to help make America safer. Many leaders want to loosen gun laws even more.
America remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world to visit or live, as gun violence rates continue to be incredibly high.
A record number of people died in America as a result of gun violence in 2021, as 48, 830 people lost their lives because of gun violence on American soil.
In 2021, 54% of all gun-related deaths in the U.S. were suicides (26,328), while 43% were murders (20,958). (cdc.gov)
In 2022, over 48,000 gun related deaths occurred in the U.S. In 2023, the number decreased, but was still very high at just under 43,000. So Americans are losing a medium-sized city worth of people every year from gun violence.
Gun violence is the leading cause of death in the U.S. among children and teenagers. Every year almost 4,000 children and teenagers 19 and under are murdered as a result of guns in the U.S. (everytown.org)
The Pew Research Center says that gun violence among children increased 50% among children under 18 years of age from 2019-2021. (1,732 to 2,590)
What can be done about gun violence in the U.S. and the world?
Being the lead world economic power, the U.S. policy influences many other nations, particularly in the western world, the Americas, and Europe. Many of these countries in the Americas also have very high gun violence rates.
However, in Canada and Europe, gun violence rates are much lower, and many people believe that the reason is because of stronger and better gun laws in these countries.
In Australia, after a tragic mass shooting in 1996 that ended 35 lives, strict nationwide gun laws were implemented including a gun buyback program that greatly reduced gun violence in this country, and many people believe that Australia's policy on gun violence should be a model for the rest of the western world.
GunPolicy.org estimates that there are 120.5 guns per 100 residents in the U.S., while Australia has only 14.5 guns per 100 residents. The death by firearm rate in the U.S. is dramatically higher than Australia, at 11.96 per 100,000 people in 2019, compared to Australia’s 0.8 per 100,000.
The National Firearms Agreement (NFA) of Australia, enacted in 1996 after the Port Arthur massacre included strict regulations on gun ownership. It banned semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, requires extensive background checks, and mandates a 28-day waiting period for firearm purchases.
The government bought back and destroyed around 700,000 firearms, significantly reducing the number of guns in private hands.
Licensing and Storage: Australians must obtain a license and permit, provide a justifiable reason for owning a gun (self-defense is not considered valid), and ensure safe storage of firearms.
In the United States, however, the Second Amendment, which gives Americans the right to bear arms, is constitutionally protected, making it challenging to implement nationwide gun control measures. Also, gun laws vary significantly by state, with some states having strict regulations and others being more lenient.
Since the implementation of the NFA, Australia has seen a significant reduction in gun-related deaths and mass shootings.
In 2023, about 42% of US households owned at least one gun, which is similar to the rate that has been seen since 1972. (statistica.com)
The U.S. continues to experience high rates of gun violence and mass shootings, with over 300 mass shootings reported in 2022 alone.
These differences highlight the impact of legislative approaches on gun violence.
Among mass shootings that have killed four or more people, in the United States there have been well over 100 since the 1996 Port Arthur tragedy. But in Australia, there has been just one in the 26 years since their gun laws were passed. Plus, gun homicides have decreased by 60%.(https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-can-australias-reaction-to-a-mass-shooting-teach-us-about-guns-and-gun-control/May 29, 2022)
Australia National Firearms Register
In addition, on December 6, 2023, the Australia National Cabinet agreed to implement a National Firearms Register, delivering on an outstanding reform from the Port Arthur response in 1996. The register will provide frontline police officers with near real-time information on firearms, parts, and owners. This register will link firearms information with other relevant police and government information, including information from the National Criminal Intelligence System and the courts, to better enable law enforcement assess firearms risks. (https://www.ag.gov.au/crime/drugs-and-firearms/firearms/national-firearms-register)
For those in the U.S. who say that more gun restrictions will not lower the gun violence rate, the statistics among westernized nations show otherwise. In other words, stricter gun laws and procedures WILL reduce gun violence and make America safer.
Gun Violence Rates in the World show that nations with stricter gun laws and regulations have much lower gun violence rates.
The U.S. by far leads the world in gun homicide among high income countries, per 100,000 residents in 2021. (https://www.healthdata.org/news-events/insights-blog/acting-data/gun-violence-united-states-outlier)
United States 4.52
Chile 1.2
Canada 0.62 (U.S. 7 times higher)
Sweden 0.34
France 0.24
Greece 0.24
Belgium 0.23
Italy 0.21
Portugal 0.19
Netherlands 0.15
Australia 0.14 (U.S. 32 times higher)
Czechia 0.11
Spain 0.10
Germany 0.06 (U.S. 75 times higher)
Poland 0.05
Romania 0.04
United Kingdom 0.01 (U.S. 452 times higher)
Korea 0.01
Japan 0.00
As you can see, the United States (US) gun homicide rate is 300 to 400 percent higher than the United Kingdom (UK) and more than 100 times higher than most western European countries.
To increase safety and reduce gun violence rates the U.S. should:
Implement a national registry of gun owners and every gun and ammunition purchase.
Track serial numbers of every weapon sold, including by microchip.
Ban automatic firearms. Weapons of war should not be on the street for private use.
Until these reforms are implemented, the United States will continue to have extremely high rates of gun violence.
The fact that there are more gun shops in the United States than fast food restaurants shows the deep obsession that many Americans have with guns. In 2022, there were nearly 78,000 licensed gun dealers in the United States—more than all McDonald's, Burger King, Subway, and Wendy's locations combined, and twice the number of US post offices. (https://everytownresearch.org/report/firearms-dealers-and-their-impact/#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20there%20were%20nearly,number%20of%20US%20post%20offices.)
In Australia, self-defense is not a valid reason to purchase a gun. A person must have a firearm license to possess or use a firearm. License holders must demonstrate a "genuine reason" (which does not include self-defense) for holding a firearm license and must not be a "prohibited person," All firearms must be registered by serial number to the owner. The United States could learn much from Australia.
In the U.S., gun obsession plus far right wing capitalist ideas cause the gun industry to thirst after profits with no regard for human life.
In the U.S., the gun lobby is extremely influential, probably more than anywhere on earth, and gun reform is difficult. However, Americans must voice their opinion if it is a true democracy as it claims. Otherwise, only a few influential groups and individuals. are controlling American laws and not the people.
Recent media reports have explained how U.S. made guns are being supplied or smuggled to Mexican drug cartels, making the border issue much more difficult. Why should one group have so much power in America? (https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/mexico-usa-guns/) (https://apnews.com/article/mexico-military-weapons-drug-cartels-united-states-659fecf40efc9977e8b127aed3ee5254)
We as a nation must embrace higher security with the issue of gun ownership. We should seriously pursue the following safety measures, if these have not already been implemented: Gun ownership transfer must be recorded by law enforcement. When a private gun owner wants to sell a gun to someone else or give a gun to someone else, the transfer of ownership must be approved and recorded by law enforcement. All gun sales and ammo sales must be approved by law enforcement, including online sales, gun show sales, and all private sales. Every gun owner must be registered with law enforcement, and every gun in existence must be registered (law enforcement must know who the owner of each gun is. Serial numbers must be registered by each gun owner's name. I would like to see some type of tracking device installed in all guns that cannot be removed.
by Owen Borville
July 20, 2024
Politics
The tragedy of high gun violence in America simply will not go away, and those in authority refuse to change anything to help make America safer. Many leaders want to loosen gun laws even more.
America remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world to visit or live, as gun violence rates continue to be incredibly high.
A record number of people died in America as a result of gun violence in 2021, as 48, 830 people lost their lives because of gun violence on American soil.
In 2021, 54% of all gun-related deaths in the U.S. were suicides (26,328), while 43% were murders (20,958). (cdc.gov)
In 2022, over 48,000 gun related deaths occurred in the U.S. In 2023, the number decreased, but was still very high at just under 43,000. So Americans are losing a medium-sized city worth of people every year from gun violence.
Gun violence is the leading cause of death in the U.S. among children and teenagers. Every year almost 4,000 children and teenagers 19 and under are murdered as a result of guns in the U.S. (everytown.org)
The Pew Research Center says that gun violence among children increased 50% among children under 18 years of age from 2019-2021. (1,732 to 2,590)
What can be done about gun violence in the U.S. and the world?
Being the lead world economic power, the U.S. policy influences many other nations, particularly in the western world, the Americas, and Europe. Many of these countries in the Americas also have very high gun violence rates.
However, in Canada and Europe, gun violence rates are much lower, and many people believe that the reason is because of stronger and better gun laws in these countries.
In Australia, after a tragic mass shooting in 1996 that ended 35 lives, strict nationwide gun laws were implemented including a gun buyback program that greatly reduced gun violence in this country, and many people believe that Australia's policy on gun violence should be a model for the rest of the western world.
GunPolicy.org estimates that there are 120.5 guns per 100 residents in the U.S., while Australia has only 14.5 guns per 100 residents. The death by firearm rate in the U.S. is dramatically higher than Australia, at 11.96 per 100,000 people in 2019, compared to Australia’s 0.8 per 100,000.
The National Firearms Agreement (NFA) of Australia, enacted in 1996 after the Port Arthur massacre included strict regulations on gun ownership. It banned semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, requires extensive background checks, and mandates a 28-day waiting period for firearm purchases.
The government bought back and destroyed around 700,000 firearms, significantly reducing the number of guns in private hands.
Licensing and Storage: Australians must obtain a license and permit, provide a justifiable reason for owning a gun (self-defense is not considered valid), and ensure safe storage of firearms.
In the United States, however, the Second Amendment, which gives Americans the right to bear arms, is constitutionally protected, making it challenging to implement nationwide gun control measures. Also, gun laws vary significantly by state, with some states having strict regulations and others being more lenient.
Since the implementation of the NFA, Australia has seen a significant reduction in gun-related deaths and mass shootings.
In 2023, about 42% of US households owned at least one gun, which is similar to the rate that has been seen since 1972. (statistica.com)
The U.S. continues to experience high rates of gun violence and mass shootings, with over 300 mass shootings reported in 2022 alone.
These differences highlight the impact of legislative approaches on gun violence.
Among mass shootings that have killed four or more people, in the United States there have been well over 100 since the 1996 Port Arthur tragedy. But in Australia, there has been just one in the 26 years since their gun laws were passed. Plus, gun homicides have decreased by 60%.(https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-can-australias-reaction-to-a-mass-shooting-teach-us-about-guns-and-gun-control/May 29, 2022)
Australia National Firearms Register
In addition, on December 6, 2023, the Australia National Cabinet agreed to implement a National Firearms Register, delivering on an outstanding reform from the Port Arthur response in 1996. The register will provide frontline police officers with near real-time information on firearms, parts, and owners. This register will link firearms information with other relevant police and government information, including information from the National Criminal Intelligence System and the courts, to better enable law enforcement assess firearms risks. (https://www.ag.gov.au/crime/drugs-and-firearms/firearms/national-firearms-register)
For those in the U.S. who say that more gun restrictions will not lower the gun violence rate, the statistics among westernized nations show otherwise. In other words, stricter gun laws and procedures WILL reduce gun violence and make America safer.
Gun Violence Rates in the World show that nations with stricter gun laws and regulations have much lower gun violence rates.
The U.S. by far leads the world in gun homicide among high income countries, per 100,000 residents in 2021. (https://www.healthdata.org/news-events/insights-blog/acting-data/gun-violence-united-states-outlier)
United States 4.52
Chile 1.2
Canada 0.62 (U.S. 7 times higher)
Sweden 0.34
France 0.24
Greece 0.24
Belgium 0.23
Italy 0.21
Portugal 0.19
Netherlands 0.15
Australia 0.14 (U.S. 32 times higher)
Czechia 0.11
Spain 0.10
Germany 0.06 (U.S. 75 times higher)
Poland 0.05
Romania 0.04
United Kingdom 0.01 (U.S. 452 times higher)
Korea 0.01
Japan 0.00
As you can see, the United States (US) gun homicide rate is 300 to 400 percent higher than the United Kingdom (UK) and more than 100 times higher than most western European countries.
To increase safety and reduce gun violence rates the U.S. should:
Implement a national registry of gun owners and every gun and ammunition purchase.
Track serial numbers of every weapon sold, including by microchip.
Ban automatic firearms. Weapons of war should not be on the street for private use.
Until these reforms are implemented, the United States will continue to have extremely high rates of gun violence.
The fact that there are more gun shops in the United States than fast food restaurants shows the deep obsession that many Americans have with guns. In 2022, there were nearly 78,000 licensed gun dealers in the United States—more than all McDonald's, Burger King, Subway, and Wendy's locations combined, and twice the number of US post offices. (https://everytownresearch.org/report/firearms-dealers-and-their-impact/#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20there%20were%20nearly,number%20of%20US%20post%20offices.)
In Australia, self-defense is not a valid reason to purchase a gun. A person must have a firearm license to possess or use a firearm. License holders must demonstrate a "genuine reason" (which does not include self-defense) for holding a firearm license and must not be a "prohibited person," All firearms must be registered by serial number to the owner. The United States could learn much from Australia.
In the U.S., gun obsession plus far right wing capitalist ideas cause the gun industry to thirst after profits with no regard for human life.
In the U.S., the gun lobby is extremely influential, probably more than anywhere on earth, and gun reform is difficult. However, Americans must voice their opinion if it is a true democracy as it claims. Otherwise, only a few influential groups and individuals. are controlling American laws and not the people.
Recent media reports have explained how U.S. made guns are being supplied or smuggled to Mexican drug cartels, making the border issue much more difficult. Why should one group have so much power in America? (https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/mexico-usa-guns/) (https://apnews.com/article/mexico-military-weapons-drug-cartels-united-states-659fecf40efc9977e8b127aed3ee5254)
We as a nation must embrace higher security with the issue of gun ownership. We should seriously pursue the following safety measures, if these have not already been implemented: Gun ownership transfer must be recorded by law enforcement. When a private gun owner wants to sell a gun to someone else or give a gun to someone else, the transfer of ownership must be approved and recorded by law enforcement. All gun sales and ammo sales must be approved by law enforcement, including online sales, gun show sales, and all private sales. Every gun owner must be registered with law enforcement, and every gun in existence must be registered (law enforcement must know who the owner of each gun is. Serial numbers must be registered by each gun owner's name. I would like to see some type of tracking device installed in all guns that cannot be removed.