Not because Americans are uniquely violent, but because guns are far more available, and gun lethality makes assaults more likely to end in death.
States with tighter gun regulations consistently have lower gun death rates, even after adjusting for poverty and demographics (See the data from CDC and RAND).
Examples:
-Mass (A- in gun law strength) 3.4 gun deaths per 100k people
-Miss (F in gun law strength) 33.9 gun deaths per 100k people
That's a difference of 240 gun deaths annually for an A state vs 1,000 gun deaths annually for an F state
What A States require:
-Background checks to prevents prohibited buyers (felons, domestic abusers, etc.)
-Mandatory safety course
-Waiting periods reducing impulsive acts of violence or suicide
-Safe Storage / Child Access Prevention Laws
So while “guns don’t cause crime,” easy gun access increases the deadliness of violence, turning assaults that might have been survivable into homicides. And my question to any responsible gun owner is, why wouldn't you want these common-sense safeguards in place? Why wouldn't you want someone with a gun to lock it up so kids can't access it? Why wouldn't you want to ensure someone who owns a gun knows how to safely handle it? Why wouldn't you want to reduce impulsive acts of violence?
Here are the top political news stories for today.
Be the first to reply to this agreement.
Join in on more popular conversations.