Deadly shootings in the United States; 120 weapons for every 100 Americans
Just a few days have passed since the tragic incident at Rob Elementary School in southern Texas, in which 21 people, including 19 children and two teachers, were killed in an armed attack by 18-year-old Salvador Ramos; An event that has been repeated for decades and is likely to be repeated. Other examples of this type of mass shooting can be seen in the incidents at Columbine High School (1999), Virginia University of Technology (2007), Sandy Hook Elementary School (2012), Parkland High School (2018), and so on.
Law on Freedom to Carry Weapons; The instigator of mass murder
One of the main reasons for the “mass shooting” (shooting in which more than four people were killed) is the shocking increase in guns in the United States; Weapons that under the law of this country can normally be legally purchased and carried by 21-year-olds.
According to the New York Times, although Americans make up about 4.4 percent of the world’s population, they own 42 percent of all civilian weapons in the world.
There are 120.5 guns per 100 Americans, while Yemen, tired of war, has 53 guns per 100 people.
According to the Anatolian News Agency, there are about 120 weapons for every 100 Americans. The United States is the only country in the world with more civilian weapons than the population, according to a survey by the Small Arms Survey (SAS) based in Switzerland.
The report compares the number of weapons in the possession of the American people with that of the war-torn people of Yemen and writes that there are 120.5 weapons per 100 Americans, while Yemen, tired of war, has 53 weapons per 100 people.
According to the Small Arms Survey, Americans have 393 million of the world’s 857 million civilian weapons, or 46 percent of the world’s civilian weapons stockpile. While the United States accounts for 4% of the world’s population, firearm suicide accounted for more than 44% of all firearm suicides in the world in 2019.
12 years of mass shooting in America
The United States sees 19 such shootings each year. The lowest and highest cases date back to 2010 and 2014, when we saw 15 and 24 mass shootings, respectively.The United States sees 19 such shootings each year. The lowest and highest cases date back to 2010 and 2014, when we saw 15 and 24 mass shootings, respectively.
A report by Oriestown Research, in collaboration with the Weapons Safety Fund for Every City, released a statistical report that found that 274 shootings had taken place in the United States since 2009. As a result, 1536 people were killed and 983 were injured.
The report points to the wrong laws of some states and emphasizes that states with weak laws and a high number of guns have far higher rates of shootings than others. In this sense, the United States does not include domestic violence and ideological hatred compared to other developed countries, but these events are closely related to legislation.
The report describes mass shootings as the “tip of the iceberg of a crisis of gun violence” because more than 99 percent of all deaths result from non-mass shootings that target members of the community. Thus, due to the high number of victims in the mass shootings and the widespread media coverage, such killings spark a wave of disgust in society. The chart below shows the number of victims of mass shootings from 2009 to 2021, ie over the past 12 years;
Frightened children and a house that is no longer safe
Between 2009 and 2020, when 240 mass shootings took place, 1363 people were killed and 947 were injured, so that we see 20 such shootings annually in the United States. At least 362 children and adolescents are among the victims. In addition, 21 law enforcement officers were killed and 35 others were injured during this period.
Between 2009 and 2020, when 240 mass shootings took place, 1363 people were killed and 947 were injured.
While it is widely believed that mass shootings are expected to take place in a public setting such as a school; This is a topic that is usually covered by the media, but the opposite is true, and most of it occurs in people’s private homes.
Between 2009 and 2020, about 61 percent of all home shootings occurred entirely indoors, with only 9 percent occurring partly at home and partly outdoors. During this period, 30% of the massacres took place in public places such as schools and shopping malls.
“اِن.آر.ای”; Powerful weapon lobby that does not stop
The NRA is the powerful arms lobby of the American National Arms Association, which, with five million members, has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to support Republican candidates; An influential and powerful lobby that continues to grow rapidly, despite protests and opposition from the people and some US government officials.
The National Weapons Association is so free-spirited that it even held its annual meeting in Houston a few days after the Texas massacre. Rejecting the arms control proposal in the country, the association described the carrying of weapons as a basic human right.
“Last week’s deadly shooting at an elementary school in Texas should not change the association’s long-standing opposition to any gun control law,” said Wayne Lapierre, president of the association.
“Restricting these basic human rights, as well as restricting Americans from protecting themselves, is not the answer,” he said. We must improve the security of schools, change the criminal justice system and reform the damaged mental health system of the country so that we can deal with the deadly shootings in the future. We must protect schools, banks, stadiums and government buildings and develop a comprehensive security plan for them.
The American National Radio (NPR) also quoted excerpts from Trump’s speech at the annual meeting, saying that there should be a strong exterior fence, metal detectors and the use of new technology to ensure that no unauthorized person can Weapons enter the school.
It should be noted that the US National Weapons Association, with its large influence and numerous members, is a heavyweight in the US presidential race and played an important role in getting Trump to the White House in January 2017.
From 1998 to 2020, gun groups paid $ 171.9 million for lobbying to directly influence the law, and the National Weapons Association has paid $ 63,857,564 since 1998 alone.
From 1998 to 2020, pro-arms groups lobbied for $ 171.9 million to target US al-Jazeera, Al Jazeera reported, citing an Open Secrets report. They have a direct impact on the rules, and the NRA alone has paid $ 63,857,564 since 1998.
According to the report, arms groups have paid a whopping $ 155.1 million over so-called foreign spending over a 10-year period from 2010 to 2020, of which more than $ 140 million have been spent since 2000. The dollar has spent in such cases. This amount includes all expenses incurred in supporting a candidate without direct coordination with him / her.
A landscape that is dark
Aside from gun laws and the high number of guns in the United States, there are other issues that drive American society toward violence and murder, including violent entertainment, Hollywood action movies, violent video games, individualistic culture, the American Dream, propaganda of exceptionalism, and narcissism. They are among them.
In connection with old and influential lobbies such as the National Weapons Association, the Texas Primary School Massacre did not even cause the association to make serious changes to its rules at its annual meeting. Although prominent religious figures such as Pope Francis, the world’s Catholic leader, have called for gun action after the shooting in Texas, such stances have not led to a change in US law.
So in the United States, the effective solution is for lawmakers and politicians to work diligently to change the law. Legislators must pass laws reviewing the history of all firearms sales, the temporary removal of firearms from domestic abusers, restrictions on purchases, the possession of weapons of war, and the barrage. Otherwise, the society will not be safe for the citizens and the schools for the children of this country.
https://everytownresearch.org/maps/mass-shootings-in-america/
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-armed-to-the-teeth-more-guns-than-civilians/2598239
https://www.npr.org/2022/05/28/11101921339/the-nras-annual-meeting-is-underway-with-only-minor-changes
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/25/what-is-the-united-states-gun-lobby-and-how-powerful-is-it
https://www.axios.com/2022/05/25/texas-shooting-pope-francis