31-01-2023, 12:55 PM
Some years ago I did an in-depth review of gun violence v. gun ownership in the US. It's possible that things might have changed but I think that's reasonably unlikely. Some of the things I learned were:
- The US is 50 states, every one with its own laws. Some states have laws that permit things like concealed carry of handguns. Others have laws that are far tighter than we have here. The idea of lumping the whole issue on "the US" is totally erroneous. There are some places where what we perceive as "the" American culture is rife. In most cases it is not. Every state has its own culture.
- The statistics on gun safety and gun crime had no relationship to how tight the laws were. Some of the most liberal states were the safest. Some of those with the tightest controls were the most dangerous. And the reverse was also true in some places.
- One of the biggest issues then, and probably worse now, is that kids grow up watching violent movies (and now playing computer games) where they see and pseudo-experience use of guns in a totally fictitious context. Instead of growing up shooting rabbits and learning first hand about how, why and when to use a gun properly, and all the safety lessons that go with that, they learn all the bad stuff with no real life context.
Overall it is clear that we only see reports of the most notable mass shootings, and that there is a disproportionate number per capita compared to our population. I would hazard a guess that that is something to do with the sheer numbers of people squashed into over-crowded cities along with all the other issues that go with that.
- The US is 50 states, every one with its own laws. Some states have laws that permit things like concealed carry of handguns. Others have laws that are far tighter than we have here. The idea of lumping the whole issue on "the US" is totally erroneous. There are some places where what we perceive as "the" American culture is rife. In most cases it is not. Every state has its own culture.
- The statistics on gun safety and gun crime had no relationship to how tight the laws were. Some of the most liberal states were the safest. Some of those with the tightest controls were the most dangerous. And the reverse was also true in some places.
- One of the biggest issues then, and probably worse now, is that kids grow up watching violent movies (and now playing computer games) where they see and pseudo-experience use of guns in a totally fictitious context. Instead of growing up shooting rabbits and learning first hand about how, why and when to use a gun properly, and all the safety lessons that go with that, they learn all the bad stuff with no real life context.
Overall it is clear that we only see reports of the most notable mass shootings, and that there is a disproportionate number per capita compared to our population. I would hazard a guess that that is something to do with the sheer numbers of people squashed into over-crowded cities along with all the other issues that go with that.