Following facts are highlights from a CNN news story that ran 2021-11-26.
● The U.S. is the only nation in the world where civilian guns outnumber people
● There are 120 guns for every 100 Americans
● About 44% of US adults live in a household with a gun, and about one-third own one personally, according to an October 2020 Gallup survey.
● U.S. firearm manufacturing is on the rise, with more Americans buying guns.
● U.S. has the highest firearm homicide rate in the developed world.
● Almost a third of US adults believe there would be less crime if more people owned guns, according to an April 2021 Pew survey.
● U.S. was home to 4% of the world’s population but accounted for 44% of global suicides by firearm in 2019.
● U.S. recorded the largest number of gun-related suicides in the world every year from 1990 to 2019
● No other developed nation has mass shootings at the same scale or frequency as the U.S.
● As of the date of the publication of this article the U.S. has had 641 mass shootings.
● A gun reform bill in stuck in the U.S. Senate.
Meanwhile in Texas where I live, we have some of the most shockingly irresponsible gun laws in the nation.
● no permit required to purchase handguns or long guns
● a gun owner does not have to register his firearm
● no gun license required to own a firearm
● everyone is allowed to openly care any firearm, no permit required
● everyone is allowed to carry a concealed firearm
● there is no magazine size limit on any firearm
Another thought-provoking read on this subject is Key facts about Americans and guns, a Pew Research Center Survey.
None of this reflects well on the U.S. or Texas. In the long term it invites chaos, and seems demonstrably inconsonant with America’s idealistic claims of being a guiding light to other nations. On the issue of gun culture, we are an example of what should be avoided by other nations, not emulated.