Gun Culture - US versus the World

[Desert Dan]

With another terrible mass shooting, this time in Maine, USA, I stumbled upon the following article from CNN.   This compares the United States to the rest of the world regarding guns and related statistics.

 

Some points I found alarming:  

 

"In 2019, the number of US deaths from gun violence was about 4 per 100,000 people. That’s 18 times the average rate in other developed countries. Multiple studies show access to guns contributes to higher firearm-related homicide rates."

 

"The US was home to 4% of the world’s population but accounted for 44% of global suicides by firearm in 2019"

 

US vs the world: Gun culture, laws and mass shootings | CNN

[Qapla]

Just curious, do they include the war-torn countries where guns are carried openly on the streets in these studies? Do they look at other ways of killing people, like knives, when they do these studies?

[Hope]

23 minutes ago, Qapla said:

Just curious, do they include the war-torn countries where guns are carried openly on the streets in these studies? Do they look at other ways of killing people, like knives, when they do these studies?

I think the studies are focused on deliberate gun violence by individuals like what America keeps experiencing - not in war-time situations.  And the study is focused on gun deaths - not knives, etc.

 

There are probably other studies for those sorts of killings.

[hatcheckgirl]

3 hours ago, Desert Dan said:

That’s 18 times the average rate in other developed countries.

 

56 minutes ago, Qapla said:

do they include the war-torn countries where guns are carried openly on the streets in these studies?

I don’t know of any “developed country” that allows gun ownership like the USA. Your country is quite unique, and it doesn’t even take studies to show the bad consequences of lax laws on gun ownership.

 

Yes, granted, even countries with strict gun laws have mass murders. It can’t be fixed or controlled by gun laws, because the world is satanic. But the USA has the majority of gun deaths by massacre (maybe other deaths like suicide by gun) by far. If there were to break out civil war in the USA, can you imagine the carnage? 😔

 

Gun ownership comparison https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41488081

 

[Desert Dan]

21 hours ago, Hope said:

I think the studies are focused on deliberate gun violence by individuals like what America keeps experiencing - not in war-time situations.  And the study is focused on gun deaths - not knives, etc.

 

Yes.   And as you know, at least in the United States, these mass acts of violence typically involve assault rifles which involve a ton of controversary as to what the true remedy is for gun control.     It seems like it almost turns political to some and some people I have seen quote that they would be willing to "fight to the death" if someone tries to take them away.   I believe there have been something like 560+ mass shootings in 2023 so far.  The U.S. statute (the Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012) defines a “mass killing” as “3 or more killings in a single incident.”

 

And for the readers:

As per the Associated Press, "So far this year, the nation has witnessed the second-highest number on record of mass killings and deaths to this point in a single year. Only 2019 had more mass killings. According to the database, there have been more than 560 mass killings since 2006, in which at least 2,900 people died and at least 2,000 were injured.|"

[Amygdala]

Tragic. I have been meeting more Americans moving out to Germany, or different European countries just because of how bad the situation is getting there. Great for my territory.

[Brandon]

I’ve been recently listening to a great podcast from WBUR called “The Gun Machine.” 
 

Episodes 2 and 3 in particular are a fascinating look into the role the US government has consistently played in the mass manufacturing of firearms. A man named Samuel Colt was able to get many government contracts in the 1800s which enabled his industry to make the mass production of the first revolvers commercially viable. The gun industry today still produces many firearms for the US government (police officers, military, etc), however, sales naturally would drop between major wars, while the for-profit companies making firearms need to consistently sell and make profits each quarter.

 

There seems to be a clear willingness of the US government to permit perpetual mass marketing and sales of private firearms out of fear that if they don’t, the firearms companies on US soil might fall behind in terms of skill and size of the industry and then when the US government gets into its next war, the industry might not be up to snuff to produce the large quantities of high quality weapons needed.

[daydream]

42 minutes ago, Brandon said:

WBUR called “The Gun Machine.” 

https://www.wbur.org/short-run/2023/10/25/the-gun-machine-episode-5-the-client
 

Quote

 

When criminals have access to some of the most powerful weapons in the world, police feel the pressure to match or outgun them. This invariably results in a massive amount of guns being purchased, often with taxpayer dollars.

 

Great podcast. Thanks for the recommendation, Br. Brandon. Excellent for persons like me with short attention span, getting worse with age and my somewhat low blood pressure.

[Thomas Walker]

I live in Australia. A country that famously hasn't had a gun massacre in decades, because when a bad one happened when I was a kid, our government outlawed guns, no matter the political/economic price.

 

Thirty years later, and at least twice a month the news has a story on the latest shooting in the USA, and our morning show crews just shake their heads. When Sandy Hook happened, we more or less agreed that there was no crime so shocking, so offensive, that it would make the US Government actually do something.

 

I've never said this on the Forum, because I know that this is a loaded topic, even for Witnesses, and there are a great many members here who are American, but the USA's reputation in Australia right now? The world's most well armed debtor's prison. It's literally the only thing the Australian news has to say about the USA. Income inequality, lunatic politicians, and mass shootings.

 

And Taylor Swift, I suppose.

[Hope]

1 hour ago, Thomas Walker said:

I live in Australia. A country that famously hasn't had a gun massacre in decades, because when a bad one happened when I was a kid, our government outlawed guns, no matter the political/economic price.

 

Thirty years later, and at least twice a month the news has a story on the latest shooting in the USA, and our morning show crews just shake their heads. When Sandy Hook happened, we more or less agreed that there was no crime so shocking, so offensive, that it would make the US Government actually do something.

 

I've never said this on the Forum, because I know that this is a loaded topic, even for Witnesses, and there are a great many members here who are American, but the USA's reputation in Australia right now? The world's most well armed debtor's prison. It's literally the only thing the Australian news has to say about the USA. Income inequality, lunatic politicians, and mass shootings.

 

And Taylor Swift, I suppose.

 

I said the exact same thing myself.  If the slaughter of little ones in primary school wasn't enough to curb the gun madness here in the States, absolutely nothing will.  That was 11 years ago.  

 

And so it goes...  

[Pabo]

I had a client who served in the Australian Defence Forces for many years, and he and his family went on a 2 year exchange stint and lived in the US on the army base with his family. This was about 15 years ago he was relating this experience.

 

What surprised him was the amount of militarised weapons that you could buy "off the shelf" over in the U.S. even more deadlier than the weapons he was issued by his employer! He was dumbfounded. Whilst he lived in Australia, he and his family lived usually outside the army base with the civilians, and he didn't need to take his service weapons with him home. Actually, he couldn't take his weapons off the base without having the appropriate paperwork, and if he were to, it is usually when he goes to another base or for other work purposes. He never had to carried any weapon on him whilst outside of base.

 

In the U.S, it was totally different. He had saw many fellow soldiers carry at least their sidearm with them, or even a knife when they go into civilian areas. He thought to himself, why would you need to be packing when you go to  the shops? He had done several tours of Iraq, Afghanistan, East Timor etc, he said he felt more safer being in a warzone than walking the streets in any city in the U.S. He said that even though you walked the streets in the warzone, you knew who the enemy was and what to look out for, but when you walk the streets of any U.S. town or city, we was uncomfortable, as he thought anyone could be a threat. He was glad that his family was living on base with him, and not out in with the civilians. They were not used to having to see weapons around at all, let alone seeing as many as they did on base.

 

He said that the U.S. was not a place he could visit anymore. He had been to places such as Serbia, Croatia, Switzerland where you do see automatic guns carried by the local enforcement agencies, but he felt safe with them, as they are fully trained. But he never felt so unsafe in his life as staying in the U.S. The other thing he didn't like about the U.S. was it's cuisine, too much salt and sugar for his liking.

[BLEmom]

Every time (ok not every time but pretty often) I am in the camping section of Walmart I end up being told by someone very proudly that they are packing. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

 

I also remember being in the grocery storie during the pandemic and getting nervous seeing a couple people openly carrying. It was the time people were fighting over toilet paper. 
 

It’s really much more than we even realize. 

[Tortuga]

6 minutes ago, BLEmom said:

Every time (ok not every time but pretty often) I am in the camping section of Walmart I end up being told by someone very proudly that they are packing. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

 

I also remember being in the grocery storie during the pandemic and getting nervous seeing a couple people openly carrying. It was the time people were fighting over toilet paper. 
 

It’s really much more than we even realize. 

I really think that we are going to see a lot more vigilantism soon. People are tired of the police not controlling crime. One of these days a flash mob will rob a high end store and a patron will open fire and claim they were in fear for their life. 

[daydream]

25 minutes ago, BLEmom said:

camping section of Walmart

Does Walmart sell guns in the camping section?

https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-gun-buying-review-virginia-store-2019-8?op=1#i-hit-a-roadblock-before-i-even-left-the-house-1

Walmart has said that about half of its 4,700 US stores sell guns.

Quote

Someone answered the phone at a Walmart Supercenter in ........

She transferred me to the sporting-goods department, where a woman on the line confirmed that I could buy a gun there.

(Later, when I contacted Walmart's media-relations team about my difficulty locating a store that sold firearms, a spokesman pointed me to the website for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, which maintains a list of all gun retailers by state.)

Spoiler

On my way to the department, I walked past shelves of school supplies, the toy department, and the bike shop.

The counter in front of the guns displayed pocket knives, binoculars, and digital night-vision monoculars inside a locked case.

Me : Killing Fields.

 

Edited November 1, 2023 by Imagine

[Amygdala]

When I was visiting a convention years ago in Cleveland, Ohio, a few of us went to a restaurant afterwards. It was around the downtown district. The one thing I’ll never forget is seeing a sign on one of the store fronts which said “no guns allowed.” That was over 20 years ago too! It was such a different feeling coming from Canada. Now it is just so commonplace.

 

I am so relieved my friend in Texas homeschools her kids.

[Amygdala]

Oh my husband just told me that when he lived for a few years in Canada helping his great-aunt, he went to a Canadian Tire in Leamington, Ontario (down in the south, close to the US border). He also saw guns and ammunition for sale. That was back in the 90’s, but this was more hunting area. Because I don’t remember seeing guns at any Canadian Tires in Vancouver or Toronto. But correct me if I’m wrong.

[BLEmom]

11 hours ago, Imagine said:

Does Walmart sell guns in the camping section?

https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-gun-buying-review-virginia-store-2019-8?op=1#i-hit-a-roadblock-before-i-even-left-the-house-1

Walmart has said that about half of its 4,700 US stores sell guns.

 

Honestly don’t know now. I know they used to around here but I’ve avoided the camping section lately. And really have been avoiding Walmart altogether. lol 

[IcemanEli]

Another school shooting just happened in Iowa. Still under investigation.

https://apnews.com/article/perry-iowa-school-shooting-things-to-know-07b7d636e9ec1d3f1ca6be628aff6e8d


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[zoebarry]

Again, The guns are NOT the problem, it’s the people wielding them. 

 

Another mentally ill, unstable, LGBTQ+ person.

[BLEmom]

3 hours ago, zoebarry said:

Again, The guns are NOT the problem, it’s the people wielding them. 

 

Another mentally ill, unstable, LGBTQ+ person.

For context…this is what is and isn’t known about the lgbtq aspect.  https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna132543

Most news articles bring out his friends say he was bullied badly since childhood. 

 

 

[Hope]

4 hours ago, zoebarry said:

Again, The guns are NOT the problem, it’s the people wielding them. 

 

Another mentally ill, unstable, LGBTQ+ person.

What a random, dismissive thing to say.. 😲🥺😮‍💨

[Esined]

That’s what happens when any random person can get access to a serious weapon that can take out so many people at once…and then those crimes keep getting massive news coverage and replicating like memes. WNTK*
 

 

*We Need the Kingdom

[Amygdala]

14 hours ago, zoebarry said:

Again, The guns are NOT the problem, it’s the people wielding them. 

 

Another mentally ill, unstable, LGBTQ+ person.

 

But there are mentally ill, unstable, LGBTQ+ persons also around the world.

[Amygdala]

This is heartbreaking. I can’t believe we considered the possibility of moving to Chillicothe, Ohio back in 2006. My husband had a job offer there, but declined. Not saying it’s that bad there, but not being able to go to the park without fear is sad.

 

https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/freedom_under_fire/childhood.html

[Frances Bennett]

17 hours ago, zoebarry said:

Again, The guns are NOT the problem, it’s the people wielding them. 

 

Another mentally ill, unstable, LGBTQ+ person.

 

I definitely can see what you are saying here, in that guns in mentally stable people's hands pose less threat (the threat only being from accidents).

 

The problem is that we don't live in a mentally stable society.

 

Countless news reports testify that the mental health of most shooters is compromised, and that the mental health status of the individual was known prior to the incident. This website is eye opening:

 

https://www.ssristories.net/

 

People with mental health issues should not be given access to guns.

 

As guns are everywhere in America and mentally ill people are everywhere the only solution is remove the guns.

 

I'm in the UK. Access to guns is very limited. I see how people behave and I know what would happen here if access to guns were increased.

 

It baffles me why America continues to allow such open gun access when the results are so shocking...oh no wait...I'm not baffled at all, Satan and the demons are running the show, they love child sacrifice and always have.

 

Leviticus 18:21

 

‘You must not allow any of your offspring to be offered to Moʹlech. You must not profane the name of your God in that way. I am Jehovah"

 

Same false gods, different millennium.