Public opinion polls and peer-reviewed survey research point to one of the great paradoxes of American life: guns are everywhere, but the average person doesn’t seem to know much about them. With mass shootings occurring in the United States at rates not seen in other Western industrialized countries, Americans remain puzzled nonetheless about why they occur with such regularity here.
To get a sense of what passes for common knowledge, one poll by NPR/Ipsos found that less than 10 percent of Americans were able to answer seven out of 10 questions on gun violence correctly.
In the wake of the Las Vegas shooting, Ipsos Public Affairs President Cliff Young said, “what we know actually is that gun violence like this typically has a short-term effect on public opinion where there’s a crystallizing event” that temporarily bumps support for gun control upward”(Kurtzleben).
Gun control remains a contested “hot-button” issue in the United States. Not surprisingly, political party identification has a big impact on public opinion on the topic of guns. Thus, pollsters find that while Republicans and Democrats alike support specific restrictions, the general idea of tighter gun control is much more firmly supported by Democrats than anyone else — 84 percent of Democrats said gun laws should be “a lot” or “somewhat” stricter than today, compared to 61 percent of independents and 55 percent of Republicans (Kurtzleben).
Here’s a summary based on race, education, and gender differences on the issue of gun control. See if you can find yourself in these statistics:
Here’s another summary of what people think about guns based on political party ID:
- One-third of Republicans said gun laws right now are “about right,” compared to 23 percent of independents and just 9 percent of Democrats.
- Partisan differences also showed up in exposure to guns — significantly more Republicans than Democrats have fired guns, own guns, and have friends who own guns, as the survey shows.
- And this dovetails with some particularly wide partisan gaps on attitudes toward guns: two-thirds of Republicans agreed with the statement “owning a gun would make me feel safer,” compared to around just a third of Democrats. Likewise, 72 percent of Republicans agreed with the statement, “The benefits of gun ownership outweigh the risks.” Democrats were the near opposite of this, with 60 percent disagreeing about the benefits of gun ownership (Kurtzleben).
What About Other Countries?
The United States has the highest rates of gun violence and gun ownership in the world – by far. This fact is not in dispute. And it has the highest rate of homicides with guns among advanced countries. But, again, those are statistics and not demonstrative of a causal relationship. But what about other countries. How do we stack up and/or compare?
The National Research Council of the National Academies concluded in its report that studies comparing large geographic areas, what it called “ecological studies,” didn’t show a distinct trend, and instead “provide[d] contradictory evidence on violence and firearms.”
One problem in comparing various countries is the wealth of other factors, besides the mere presence of guns, that can affect whether a homicide occurs, such as the economy, general crime rates, and laws governing guns. Another issue is that the data isn’t all that great. Gun ownership numbers are largely based on public opinion surveys, and the reliability of numbers can vary widely from country to country. “We don’t have good data on the prevalence of ownership on all the countries we’d want to have it on,” says Wintemute.
The numbers in the chart below are from the (2007) Small Arms Survey. This project gives high and low estimates, along with an average. Using average numbers, they show the U.S. with 88.8 guns for every 100 people (you can also see this in the chart above. That makes the U.S. No. 1 in the gun ownership rate in the world. Switzerland, with 45.7 guns per 100 people, is No. 3 in the world, with nearly half the rate of the U.S. Switzerland also requires military service. (Yemen is No. 2, with 54.8 guns per 100 people.)
The Small Arms Survey acknowledges that its numbers are approximations, making these estimates is far from an exact science. In addition to surveys, the researchers rely on gun registration, experts, other indicators such as firearm suicides, and comparisons to similar countries. The survey qualifies its results by saying “All gun numbers—even those that seem most accurate—approximate reality or reveal only part of it. They should be used with caution.”
The firearms homicide rate and homicide rate overall is also higher in the U.S. compared to other advanced countries, such as Canada, Australia and those in Europe, according to data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The U.S. gun homicide rate was 3.2 per every 100,000 people in 2010, according to UNODC figures. The UNODC measures “intentional homicide,” which is “an unlawful death purposefully inflicted on a person by another person.”
More Guns = More Homicides
In 2008, researchers explored the issue of whether more gun ownership meant more or less gun violence. What they found, and it still holds true, was that some studies had shown a statistical relationship between those factors — areas with a higher prevalence of guns had higher prevalence of gun homicides and homicides in general. But studies haven’t been able to show a causal relationship — that the mere presence of guns, as opposed to other factors, caused the higher rates of gun violence. It’s doubtful, however, that a study could ever beyond-a-doubt prove a causal relationship (Farley).
The international data show that country-to-country comparisons are inherently difficult to make — and, as the NRC said, and they can sometimes provide “contradictory evidence.” For instance, Latin American countries with high levels of firearm homicide show low levels of gun ownership. Honduras has a gun ownership rate of 6.2 per 100 people and a gun homicide rate of 68.43 per 100,000 people, and Colombia has a gun rate of 5.9 and firearm homicide rate of 27.09, as shown in this chart produced by the Washington Post using the same data cited here (Farley).
But among advanced countries, the U.S. homicide rate stands out. “We seem to be an average country in terms of violence and aggression,” says Harvard’s Hemenway. “What we have is huge homicide rates compared to anybody else.” These sentiments are echoed by Wintemute: “The difference is that in the U.S. violence involves firearms and firearms change the outcome” (Farley).
Do Concealed Carry Laws Reduce Violent Crime?
Typically, in the wake of a high profile shooting, emotion and public opinion fill the airwaves as people debate whether or not the answer is more guns or fewer guns. It’s not uncommon for people to say things like had the (insert victim) been armed, they might have killed the shooter. Individual case illustrations will be offered up to illustrate a time when a “good guy with a gun” took down a bad guy. But there’s a difference between studying individual cases and aggregates. Research and statistical analysis focus on aggregates to make statements about populations.
John Lott, the author of the 2010 edition “More Guns Less Crime,” contends that “[a]llowing citizens to carry concealed handguns reduces violent crimes, and the reductions coincide very closely with the number of concealed-handgun permits issued.” (p. 20) He goes on to state that the results of his research “clearly imply that nondiscretionary [concealed carry] laws coincide with fewer murders, aggravated assaults, and rapes” (p. 57). More controversially, he argues that “[w]hen state concealed handgun laws went into effect in a county, murders fell by about 8 percent, rapes fell by 5 percent, and aggravated assaults fell by 7 percent” (p. 59). Similarly, Carlisle Moody, an economics professor at William & Mary, says guns prevent injuries and death.
Alternatively, one of the leading researchers on gun violence, Dr. David Hemenway at the Harvard Injury Control Research Center, contradicts Lott and says “that’s completely wrong.” Hemenway along with a committee of the National Research Council of the National Academies in 2004 analyzed Lott’s research and took issue with his findings, concluding that “it is impossible to draw strong conclusions from the existing literature on the causal impact of these laws.” According to them:
The initial model specification, when extended to new data, does not show evidence that passage of right-to-carry laws reduces crime. The estimated effects are highly sensitive to seemingly minor changes in the model specification and control variables. No link between right-to-carry laws and changes in crime is apparent in the raw data, even in the initial sample; it is only once numerous covariates are included that the negative results in the early data emerge. While the trend models show a reduction in the crime growth rate following the adoption of right-to-carry laws, these trend reductions occur long after law adoption, casting serious doubt on the proposition that the trend models estimated in the literature reflect effects of the law change. Finally, some of the point estimates are imprecise. Thus, the committee concludes that with the current evidence it is not possible to determine that there is a causal link between the passage of right-to-carry laws and crime rates.
Again in 2008, the Harvard Injury Control Research Center reviewed the reams of scientific research on concealed gun-carrying laws and broadly concluded: “the changes have neither been highly beneficial nor highly detrimental” (Farley).
More Guns = More Suicide
National debates over gun violence tend to focus on mass murders and high profile shootings (i.e. the Newtown, Connecticut, elementary school, Las Vegas shooting, Columbine). Unfortunately, what tends to get lost in the shuffle of sensation is one important face: many more people kill themselves with a firearm every year than are murdered with one.
In 2010 in the U.S., 19,392 people committed suicide with guns (compared with 11,078 who were killed by other people). According to Matthew Miller, associate director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center (HICRC) at Harvard School of Public Health, “If every life is important, and if you’re trying to save people from dying by gunfire, then you can’t ignore nearly two-thirds of the people who are dying.” Suicide is the 10th-leading cause of death in the U.S.; in 2010, 38,364 people killed themselves. In more than half of these cases, they used firearms. Indeed, more people in this country kill themselves with guns than with all other intentional means combined, including hanging, poisoning or overdose, jumping, or cutting. Though guns are not the most common method by which people attempt suicide, they are the most lethal. About 85 percent of suicide attempts with a firearm end in death. (Drug overdose, the most widely used method in suicide attempts, is fatal in less than 3 percent of cases.) Moreover, guns are an irreversible solution to what is often a passing crisis. Suicidal individuals who take pills or inhale car exhaust or use razors have time to reconsider their actions or summon help. With a firearm, once the trigger is pulled, there’s no turning back (Drexler).
Quiz
Test your knowledge on gun violence and take an online quiz here or simply follow below:
1. About how many people in America are shot each year?
1,000
10,000
50,000
100,000
2. Of those shot in the United States annually, how many people are killed?
350
3,500
35,000
350,000
3. How many guns are there in the United States per 100 people?
8 per 100 people
32 per 100 people
88 per 100 people
175 per 100 people
4. T or F: The number of guns in America has increased over the last 20 years.
5. What is the most common type of firearm in America?
Handgun
Shotgun
Rifle
6. What kind of firearms are most commonly used in homicides?
Handgun
Shotgun
Rifle
7. What percentage of gun deaths are the result of mass shootings?
1.5%
15%
30%
50%
8. T or F: Most gun deaths in the United States are homicides.
9. About what percentage of reported suicide attempts carried out with a gun result in a death?
20%
40%
60%
80%
10. About how many children are shot each day in America?
5
10
15
20
11. T or F: Every gun buyer undergoes a background check, whether purchasing from a store or a private seller.
12. T or F: Chicago has the highest homicide rate in America.
13. T or F: Households with guns are more likely to experience a fatality from crime, accident or suicide than households without guns.
14. Kids and adolescents are at an increased risk for suicide when there is a gun in the home. What Suicide rates in this population are _______times higher than for kids who live in homes without guns.
15. More than _________% of all unintentional shootings of children take place in the homes of their friends, neighbors, or relatives.
How Did You Score?
Answer Key:
- An average of 115,000 people were shot each year from 2011 to 2015, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control.
- More than 38,000 people died by firearms in 2016, preliminary CDC reports indicate, and the rate of gun deaths increased to 12 per 100,000 people. In 2015, there were 36,000 gun fatalities and about 33,500 annually from 2012 to 2014.
- With 88 per 100 people, the United States has more guns than any other country. Yemen, with 54.8 guns per 100 people, is second.
- There are an estimated 265 million firearms in American households, an increase of 70 million from two decades before, one survey found. In 2015, there were approximately 55 million gun owners, compared with approximately 44 million in 1994. But because of population increases, the share of Americans who owned guns over the same period actually dipped slightly, from 25 percent to 22 percent.
- A recent survey estimated that 42 percent of all firearms were handguns, most of them acquired for self-defense. That reflects a big shift: two decades ago, the most common gun owned by Americans was a hunting rifle.
- Handguns are used in homicides more than twice as often as other types of firearms, according to the Department of Justice.
- Mass shootings account for less than 1.2 percent of annual gun deaths, the New York Times estimates, using figures from the nonprofit, nonpartisan Gun Violence Archive.
- About a third of the 35,000 gun deaths recorded annually are homicides; 60% are suicides. Unintentional shootings make up another 1 percent.
- Suicide attempts by firearms have an 82.5 percent fatality rate, one study found. Guns are not the most common means of suicide attempt, but they result in more deaths than every other method combined.
- Nineteen children are shot in the United States every day. Three die, on average, a study released this year in the journal Pediatrics found.
- Federal law requires that gun buyers undergo a background check only when purchasing a weapon from a licensed firearms dealer. Fewer than 20 states require checks on sales between private parties. In an estimated 22 percent of gun transfers, the person acquiring the gun is not vetted by law enforcement, research shows.
- Chicago has the most homicides in raw numbers. But on a per-capita basis, the city’s homicide rate is lower than seven other cities, including New Orleans, St. Louis and Buffalo, New York.
- Polls show that a majority of Americans believe a gun makes a household safer, but crime and violent injury data suggest the opposite. One study found that “For every time a gun in the home was used in a self-defense or legally justifiable shooting, there were four unintentional shootings, seven criminal assaults or homicides, and 11 attempted or completed suicides.”
- Suicide rates among kids and adolescents are four times higher than for kids who live in homes without guns.
- More than 30% of all unintentional shootings of children take place in the homes of their friends, neighbors, or relatives.
Sources
“How Much Do You Know About Gun Violence in America?” by Team Trace
“Poll: Majorities of Both Parties Favor Increased Gun Restrictions,” by Daniel Kurtzleben
“Gun Rhetoric vs. Gun Facts“, by Robert Farley
“Guns & Suicide, The Hidden Toll” by Madeline Drexler
Growing up, I had always been in contact with guns and from an early age I was taught how to operate them and taught to respect them as tools not toys. I have never read into the statistics on gun violence in America until now, and I still do not know what to think about it. However, one thing that disturbs me is the amount of suicides that are achieved by firearms in the U.S. Around 60 percent of the 35,000 deaths by firearms are caused by suicides. That is a shame to me. Perhaps a way to prevent these things is to have more background checks for purchasing firearms. Maybe this would help keep guns out of people who may use it for self harm.
First I’d like to say I like guns. I own multiple and I enjoy shooting them, and the simple reason for this is I think its fun. At the same time, its in my opinion at least, undeniably easy to get a gun, far too easy. My one friend talked about how all he had to do to get a pistol was pay a fee and wait, all he needed was his carrying permit and that was about it. At the same time, guns are never going away. It’s just a statistical impossibility at this point, not even Australia had as many as we do when we banned guns. But there should stronger laws, more wait times, more restrictions on mods that allows rifles to fire automatically, half these modifications fall under no guidelines due to there being no rules against them. People like to say we should enforce the gun laws we have, but those laws are hobbled and outdated, and even when they are attempted to be upheld they are fought against. Restrictions should become tighter in my opinion, though as long as there are almost 89 guns per person crimes most likely will still be inevitable.
I personally believe that guns are a way to express power and confidence amongst those who are weak minded. Do I believe people have the right to own one? Yeah, but I also believe with the right to do so, you should be forced to take safety classes to protect not only yourself, but others in society as well. Nowadays, the access to guns are simply steps away. I once read an article where most home invasions took place with stolen guns. Whether it was someone’s grandmas “12 gauge” hidden in the closet or grandads “22” tucked away in some old night stand in the living room.
I just like many others have family members who own guns. Do I think they are all for the right reasons? No, and for those who have them are usually involved in “drug activity”. I personally believe that blacks who own guns more so put themselves in more danger than they need to be. Especially if it’s not registered. If higher authorities were to see it being openly carried, there’s a higher chance that they will have a police encounter than someone who were white and openly caring a weapon. For professional purposes, I recently just began getting involved with weapons just for extra knowledge and safety purposes. I have no intentions on using. I am more than capable to work my way out of any situation without having to draw or reach for a lard of metal weighing down someone’s waist side.
“The United States has the highest rates of gun violence and gun ownership in the world – by far. This fact is not in dispute. And it has the highest rate of homicides with guns among advanced countries.” – Dr. Trappen This one line explains the entire point of the article. Honestly, until this class, I really had no idea the size of this issue in our country. Yes, I know you hear on the news all the time about mass shootings, gun law debates, etc. But how often do they show us straight up unbiased facts without a hidden political agenda? This article should be read by everyone in America before they offer their personal opinion on the matter. Personally, I am not against the right to bear arms in our country. I believe it IS our right to own guns if we choose. However, I do believe we need tighter control on who is getting these weapons. Mental health screenings should be the norm! We need strict background checks, proper time period allotted before purchase, etc. The article states that 62% of handgun deaths are from suicide. People are quick to say “yeah well if they didn’t have a gun they would just jump off a bridge or something”. But to that I would disagree. I think jumping off a bridge, hanging yourself, or other ways of suicide require a lot more thought and planning. If someone is feeling depressed and wanting to die and they have a handgun, they can end their life. If they have no other way to kill themselves, who’s to say that they won’t feel better the next day or get on some medication the next week to help themselves. A gun can be grabbed and fired within minutes. 85% of gun related suicides end in death. I think if we had better mental health checks, the overall suicide rate would decline significantly. But it’s more than just suicide. It is our entire gun culture in the U.S. that attributes to the problem. Guns are “cool” in our society. People love to show them off on social media and show them off to their friends when they buy a new pistol. Change needs to happen, but banning guns is not the solution in my opinion.
Let me start by saying I am not against having guns I just think there need tone stricter rules in place when having and obtain a gun. I did not grow up in a house with guns but I do have family members who are hunters my cousin is 13 and he hunts but he was taught the right way and he knows not to touch them because he doesn’t have access to them. I do not think having or owning guns is a bad thing if they make you feel safe them thats fine I don’t worry about the people who have guns to protect themselves I worry about the people who think showing off and letting everyone know they have the gun are the ones I worry about. I think that getting a gun is fairly easy nowadays people are so trigger happy and I think its a really bad trend that young kids are picking up on. I have 3 brothers they are 15, 7, 5 and all they ever want todo is play with nerf guns and it drives me in sane because they like to shoot at people as if they were bad guys like in the game call of duty and the only reason they know about that game is because they always want to be up under my brother. and my 15 year old brother thinks guns are cool because when he plays the game I don’t know if he realizes that a game vs reality is real if you shoot at somebody or you get shot int the game you come back to life where as if you shoot in real life most times people do not survive. I think guns are a safety clutch for people and should be taken serious but when they are made out to be like toys thats where the problem comes in. I do think that police officers having guns is fine but they also have tasers and I think that when police officers are training they should be taught more so on how to disarm or use their tazzers more instead of their guns if the situation calls for a gun then so be it but I don’t think people should feel powerful because they have a gun but with todays society theres movies, music, and celebrities that make it sound and look fun and appealing too ours and newer generations I don’t think the rules are going to changes.
Gun Violence is a very interesting subject today. I grew up in a house with guns and my whole family had guns. We had a gun safe and so did other members of my family. Guns were favored very highly when i grew up and still today. I was taught how to shoot a gun at 10 years old. I currently still use guns (at shooting ranges) and have a permit too. Having a gun in your hand or by your side is a very exhilarating feeling. One that can’t be described but it also requires an extreme amount of responsibility. A gun is not a toy. You have the power to take someones life and i don’t know any “toys” that can do that. That leads me to gun violence. I feel as if some police officers use guns as toys and they don’t actually realize the power that they posses. There is a big difference between a razor and a gun. Officers are trained to kill. I understand that, but in some situations it is very critical to understand that killing is not the answer. Killing someone not only affects the person who was killed. It affects the family and those close with the victim. It affects the police officer as Well. I do feel that cops don’t necessarily understand the consequences of their actions. I do agree that there is an issue with violence in America. However, it does not lay with guns, it lays with people. People don’t understand the power of a gun and that is very important to understand. Maybe we do need better security checks or even something along those lines. However, the problem is with people not with guns.
I’ve grown up around guns however what I was taught at a young age and my perception about guns now is a totally different perception. When I was young it was my Uncle and my older cousins who first introduced me to a handgun and what they told me is ….in any situation it’s better to have a gun and not need it. Then to not have a gun and need it. As time went on with just getting knowledge about guns from them and listening to them I felt an obligation to care. Not just an obligation but also anxiety that trouble will always find me. Growing up and gathering my own information about guns I found out my uncle and cousins really didn’t know anything about guns. In fact one of the real reasons why they carried was because of drug activity and this felling of completion of being a “man”. They felt like with a gun. Someone is more likely to leave them alone then to mess with them knowing they are carrying. To me a gun Is not something you parade around with waiting for something to happen. I don’t feel any safer then if I had a gun to if I didn’t have one. Carrying a gun on you is basically saying you already determined or thought of a bad Scenario to when it is most justifiable to use your gun and your willing to go there without hesitation.
After reading the article, none of the information and statistics on guns in the United States surprised me. With how easy it is to obtain a gun and gun license it’s no wonder the U.S. has the highest homicide by firearms rate. I’ve been recently logging homicides in Pittsburgh in the year 2017 and more than half of the homicides were shooting victims. Whether legally, or illegally, guns, hand guns in particular are easily obtainable. One thing I didn’t have some knowledge of was that more guns results in more suicides. In the article it was illustrated that 62 percent of firearm deaths in the U.S. are suicides. That was very shocking to learn. If gun violence was to be every reduced significantly, the United States needs to take a page out of Japans book. Reducing gun ownership will reduce gun deaths, as clearly shown in the article.
I never really had an interest in guns. No one in my household had had an interest for them either. We have one in the house for safety and for emergency purposes. It has never been taken out and I have not seen it since we bought it. I know a decent amount about guns and I have been to the gun range several times. I also learned about them from video games like Call of Duty. I just wish the United States had more safety regulations on guns like Japan. I do not believe that crazy people should be able to purchase and own a gun. I do not like guns for a lot of reasons. I have had several friends shot and killed by gun violence and friends go to jail for carrying or possessing guns. I feel that guns are not as necessary as people make it out to be. Japan and other big countries are doing fine with gun restrictions– they have low gun violence rates and incarnation rates. I believe that the US needs to look at how other countries are handling situations and make changes. People are losing loved ones and close friends by gun violence.
I grew up in a house where there was a gun but no one ever touched it except my dad when he would go hunting. It has been years since my dad went hunting and he has not touched it since then. My dad got me a gun because I started to hunt and took my hunters safety course and I have not touched it in a few years. At least six years ago my parents went to a gun bash and won a little pistol and they never bought bullets for it. It has been in the same spot since it was brought home. I know a few people who just graduated high school and they were into selling drugs and the kid thought it was cool to take a video on snapchat singing a song. I don’t think everyone should be allowed to carry a gun because not everyone needs it. I do not see the point in carrying a gun because if someone pulls a gun out on you and shoots you first, then its not going to be simple to just pull out your gun and get that person back. Or if you get into an argument with someone and you have a gun but they do not, then it makes it worse for yourself if you shoot that person when you were not threatened by a gun.
There is no doubt that there is a gun violence problem. The only problem with that is our Second Amendment gives U.S. citizens the right to keep and bear arms so regulations are very complicated. Especially when 84 percent of the liberal side say that gun laws should “somewhat” be stricter than today. I personally knew that the liberal side wants more restrictions on gun than the conservative side. I have to agree that we need to implement certain regulations, however that does not mean to completely take away firearms to citizens. I personally believe prior to purchasing a gun you must go through a more thorough background investigation. I believe mental health is a very important factor in the order process of any weapon. I believe every U.S. citizen has the right to own a gun, but in order to own one there needs to be a more filtered process.
I grew up in a house that had guns. My dad was and still is a hunter. He always had his guns locked in a safe and never gave out the lock combination or told anyone where the keys were to the gun safe. My sister and myself were raised to respect my dads guns and to never go near them or play with them. I feel as I get older and have a child of my own, that people do not raise their children to respect guns, instill gun safety, or enforce the dangers and risks of guns. People today easily have access to guns, which I feel is a major part of the gun violence issue. People are easily receiving permits to carry guns and they personally have never even shot a gun, but choose to carry one just because they can. Assault weapons are being sold to who ever can get one, which I believe is a huge part of the gun violence issue.
Before reading this article I knew that the United States was the highest ranked gun ownership and has the most gun violence in the world. I know a lot of people who own guns and own a lot of them. I am definitely surprised that Pennsylvania only has 27.1% that are gun owners. I think it’s smart that in Japan you have to take classes, mental and drug tests, and a full background check. It’s interesting that they have to tell the police exactly where the gun and ammo is, plus they have to be separated. And then they have to have the gun inspected every year plus take the test again every three years. To me that’s crazy but I bet if the US did that we would bring the deaths down insanely. It makes me extremely sad knowing how high the deaths are because of gun violence and I know exactly who owns a gun just by talking to them. Their is a certain type of person that owns gun simply because of their “pride” not because they don’t feel safe. It’s frustrating that people who may have mental illnesses or who use drugs can easily get a gun but now with how today is people would freak out if we took away their guns. It’s such a huge problem but if they lose that right it would cause and uproar and that’s why it won’t happen. I personally plan on owning at least one gun because I will be in law enforcement and I do believe in having safety precautions. With that being said I do believe that their is an excessive amount of guns that are out there and it’s terrifying knowing that.
In a country where our citizens are given the right to bear arms, the perspective of gun ownership varies for each household. Personally in my family, my parents never owned a gun due to religious standards that they believe in. Due to this, I grew up in a household where guns were never present. In my younger years I was informed that guns were used for self protection, war and to pursue interests such as hunting. Growing up gun ownership in my household was associated with negatives due to public displays of mass shootings, violent urban gangs, and accidental shootings. However upon getting older my viewpoint on gun ownership has changed. Upon entering the military about two years ago, I had never fired a weapon, so my knowledge about the instruments of a gun were vague. The army however had taught me to have trust in the equipment, which at a time was a gun. They introduced me to the protection and certain values that a gun holds. Ultimately guns are safe as long as they do not get into the ownership of individuals that may want to harm or kill others, or themselves. Our society today has a problem controlling the gun regulations. Due to this many people of mental impairments have been able to purchase or acquire a weapon.
I had seen gun in my home, which was borrowed from my uncle. But that was a hunting gun and it was only accessible to adults. I had fired the gun a few times against random objects with adult supervision. It is very dangerous to have a gun in homes with children. Although guns are dangerous they are helpful against intruders. If someone was threatened and know the possibility of being robbed or attacked, the person should consider having gun with the proper license.
Gun control will likely always be a hot topic for debate in the U.S.. We are a huge country with many different ethnic and cultural groups intertwined inside. Because of this, we have many different opinions on a almost every matter. The two main beliefs with guns that I see in the article are that there are people who want more gun control, or they want the gun control to stay the same or even lessen. There is plenty of data to support either side of the argument, but none of it can definitively support any causation between gun violence and gun ownership, they only show correlation. One argument I see in favor of gun control is Japan’s success with gun control. When you look at Japan, it is easy to say that the strict gun control policies have greatly reduced the gun violence there. Some people argue that because it worked there, it could work here. However, Japan is extremely from the U.S., in several ways. Their population is much smaller and much less diverse. There economy is different as well. I am not one in favor of super strict gun control like in Japan, but I think I would like it to be better. I think that background checks should be mandatory, as well as mental tests. There should be well kept records of who owns weapons as well.
I believe that guns are not weapons, they are tools. How they need aid utilized will be dependent upon those individual considering it. Weapons themselves can’t do anything it is the person with the gun that decides where the bullet goes. Firearm control won’t stop savagery on An vicious individual doesn’t need a weapon with be brutal. Taking weapons away from vicious individuals won’t settle on them lesquerella vicious. It could make them that’s only the tip of the iceberg brutal. Vicious people might use anything will make brutal.
My dad used to own two guns before my sister and I were born, but my mom made him get rid of them because guns and children don’t mix. But I had seen guns before and I had held a gun in my hand before. One time there was a bat in my house and my uncle shot it. So if guns are used right, they can be good like protecting the family.
I had seen gun in my home, which was borrowed from my uncle. But that was a hunting gun and it was only accessible to adults. I had fired the gun a few times against random objects with adult supervision. It is very dangerous to have a gun in homes with children. Although guns are dangerous they are helpful against intruders. If someone was threatened and know the possibility of being robbed or attacked, the person should consider having gun with the proper license.
I grew up in a household where getting a new gun for hunting or just for show in the gun cabinet was the big Christmas gift underneath the Christmas tree. I grew up in a very small, very rural town where absolutely everyone hunts, drives big trucks, and wears camouflage clothing 95% of the time. With only 2,500 people in my town, everyone knows everyone and I have never had any issues with gun violence or felt unsafe seeing someone in my town conceal carry a weapon while walking down the street or in the gas station I used to work at. I view guns as a safety and security, but just like everything else in life there are people who feel they need to abuse the privilege. I do not necessarily feel that making guns harder for people to get will put an end to gun violence. Drugs are illegal and supposed to be hard to get, but there are thousands and thousands of overdose deaths every single year in the United States. I do not think making guns illegal would ever stop someone from trying to conduct a mass shooting, it would make it a little more difficult but if someone really wants to commit a crime of that scale they are going to find all the hoops to jump through to make that happen.
When I was growing up, I was never really around guns. My parents never bought one, I was never taken out hunting. I have been to a gun range to shoot a few different guns. I only see guns to be used when hunting or for buying for self-defense. I believe the person who owns the gun should be the only person to shoot it. I don’t think enough people really know that much about guns to add to the topic, I think there should be more classes and trainings about guns.
I have not grown up around guns, and so I cannot claim to know much about gun safety or general gun knowledge. But, even though I haven’t grown up around guns, that doesn’t necessarily mean I am opposed to them. On the contrary, I would like to take a few gun safety courses when I am out of college and hopefully own a firearm one day. This is where the problem lies. For people like me, who have never grown up around guns and don’t have much knowledge about them, we are given as much of a say in the gun rights discussion as those with ample firearm experience. This introduces an extremely large knowledge gap between those on both sides of the argument. There is an extremely large population within the U.S. that doesn’t have the basic firearm knowledge that are vehemently fighting in this debate. I think the first step in this debate is increasing firearm education so that there isn’t such a knowledge gap. Hopefully with that, one day we can finally come to a unanimous agreement regarding gun control and access.
I do not agree with owning a gun for anything other than going hunting or going to a shooting range. To carry a gun around every day, while not being a police officer, can be utterly dangerous in my opinion. It can end up getting into the wrong hands if it is not watched over. I have never fired a gun in my life, even though my uncle has tried countless times. My uncle owns over 500 guns, but he hunts and goes to shooting ranges all the time. They’ve just scared me too much to be around.
Growing up, my family was not against guns, but with having so many young children in the house, my mother was not okay with having guns in the house. My father had one gun that he kept in a secret spot, that only he and my mother knew about. It was only kept for the sense of security and protection. However, when my mother remarried, we moved to a town where guns are kept on display and are the most important part of the house. People did not just have one gun, but an entire gun safe full. It was a completely different lifestyle. I know the basics of how to shoot a gun, but I don’t get the same thrill as my brothers and step dad do when they shoot. They are all hunters and they use it to pass time and have fun. My step dad is a police officer and therefore takes gun safety very seriously. He has made sure that my brothers are all highly capable of shooting a gun and shooting it correctly. I believe that guns are a part of life and they more than likely, are not going away. I do not think that everyone should be able to own or shoot a weapon. Unfortunately, the people that are causing such problems with guns, would find a way to commit these crimes and kill these people one way or another. The problem is not the gun itself, but the person that is behind the trigger. With that being said, I think that everyone should be trained in some way with a gun, whether as an owner or not, just so that if anything were to occur, there are people around that are able to help and help effectively.
I have never fired a gun or even held one. In my household my mom find guns as a dangerous object and my dad see guns as a safety object. The only reason my father has a gun is to protect us if anybody tries to rob us or etc. I am against guns because i feel like people take advantage of having a gun. I think there should be a certain age to have a gun and if you under the age of 21 shouldn’t be able to purchase. Most important to have a gun you should have a license for it. if you don’t then you shouldn’t have a gun on you.
Growing up I didn’t know too much about guns other than they were dangerous. My parents weren’t necessarily against guns but they didn’t want any guns in the household. My only personal experience with guns was with BB guns and airsoft guns. My current view about guns has changed a lot since I was younger. Guns have the potential to do a lot of damage, and also can cause a lot of safety. It just depends on the person with the gun. I believe that security and background checks are a must when someone’s purchasing a gun. This hopefully limits the amount of physcos who can get a gun. On the other hand, guns can save lives. Police officers do there best to use their guns to keep themselves and others out of danger. However, even police can make mistakes with guns and fire them even when it might not have been necessary. Overall, if you’re licensed to have a gun and are trained I don’t see any problem with owning a gun but people who don’t take guns seriously and treat them as toys are the kinds of people society has to worry about.
I personally did not grow up around guns, but I have had the opportunity to hear many different viewpoints on the subject throughout my life. Guns continue to be a hot topic in America especially, but people are so quick to believe the first piece of news or statistic related to gun violence. There are many small stipulations that can be made in terms of second amendment rights, but overall I feel that the right to own guns for different purposes should continue to be a right. Nowadays, it is too easy for anyone to pick up a gun at shows or through secondhand purchases, instead of waiting for allocated times and allowing ample background checks to be done thoroughly. Courses in proper gun use and safety for all owners would also be beneficial, because they are very powerful weapons and should be treated as such with correct education. I am a firm believer in the idea of guns not being the problem, but the people with them being the problem. So, proper education and extensive training along with background checks and longer waiting periods will greatly help combat a lot of the issues the country is facing today. I don’t think there is a way to completely end the fight, because people are going to continue to have their own stances that are set in stone, but we can help reduce a lot of the risk factors associated with gun violence today.
I do not come from a household with guns. Growing up I was around guns because of the people around me. I personally was never against guns because there are people who do own them purely for protection but it seems like guns are constantly getting in the hands of the wrong people. It doesn’t seem like authority is getting control of it either. That is why I am now against guns because the problem has obviously gotten too big to get a hold on it so I believe it should just be cut off for the safety of everyone until things are under control. Research shows that we are in fact wrong when we say most people will only use guns for protection so we need a change. Getting a gun should not be as easy as it is today.
The United States likes guns! Perhaps it’s one of the many items that acts as a symbol to represents the freedom in which the U.S. is known for. Yes, the U.S. can own a wider spectrum of firearm styles or systems than most other countries, however, it really comes down to the actions of the firearm owners in whether they are responsible with them. When looking at the chart displaying the percentages of the U.S. population on whether they are for or against gun control, it was apparent that the more populated an area was like the big cities, the less voted against gun control. Whether this is from tragic experiences or simply the lack of information about guns is up for debate, but on the other hand the more rural regions displayed much higher firearm ownerships most likely due to game hunting and trapping. When the subject of guns arises, what I see most people jump to is that people own guns just for fun and they don’t have a purpose beside, maybe, protection and this simply is not the case. Hunters have owned and possessed firearms for 100’s of years in the U.S. and for that very reason… to hunt.
Growing up, I always saw the value of a gun or a knife as a tool rather than a weapon. I took a hunter safety course when I was younger and I feel that everyone should take some sort of gun safety course in case they are ever faced with a life or death situation, or just to simply raise one’s awareness about guns. I feel safe around guns because I know how to handle them properly and I see a greater value in them than just for shooting. I think something has changed very recently in our culture to get to this point because we have had “assault” type guns since after World War II and now suddenly they have become a problem. I think the current gun culture can change if more people are educated about guns and if stricter measures are taken to make sure people with mental illnesses do not get their hands on guns.
I was exposed to firearms at a young age and grew up in the presence of them. I have hunters, veterans and police officers in my family as well as close friends. My parents felt that because I had so much exposure to the subject, I needed to be taught firearm safety and what they were used for. Therefore, I have a lot of experience with guns and have fired them before at ranges. I do not own a gun, but I would consider owning one for strictly safety purposes. After reading this article, I compared the data to the people I have come across who do and do not own guns. I consider the subject to be open for conversation and debate because of the several thoughts, arguments and experiences with them may be very diverse. I’ve spoken to veterans, police officers, and every day citizens who carry or own guns about the topic, and they all have very different reasons for owning. Some say for protection and safety, some say for sport and etc.. Although I support the ownership of firearms, I do not believe everyone should own one. Guns are a very serious weapon and users need to understand that fact. I believe that those holding guns should be mentally stable individuals who are extremely well educated on the topic and understand the safety of the weapon. Guns are everywhere. Owner of a gun or not, I think everyone should be educated about firearms, especially because of how prevalent they are in today’s society.
I have grown up with guns all around, and even had some experience using them myself. When using a gun, I think it is a very special feeling and thing to do. Guns are a very special object due to the power it gives the user. If you have a gun, you feel a certain overpowering over the rest of the people around you. And of course certain psychos take advantage of this feeling of power and take it to a whole other level with violence. I feel everyone should be able to own a gun, but with a great amount of detailed background checks and other safety precautions. Just because you make something illegal, does not mean it will not be used. You see all the drugs that are illegal, but does that stop people who want the drugs from getting them? It probably motivates them more to get what is illegal just because the fact they are using the drug. Having a gun will make you feel so much more safe as well as others around you if you are in a life or death situation. The people who are causing the gun violence and the question whether we should be able to use them are the problem. Obviously these people just want to cause a problem and cause chaos. Whether guns are legal or not, they will still be able to get a gun just like people are able to get illegal drugs, or even if they can not get a gun they are other weapons like knives or explosives etc. It is not the fact of a gun causing the violence it is the person who wants to cause it and they will use whatever resources they have to do so. I think everyone should be able to own a gun to keep themselves and others safe from the real problem, the people behind the gun.
Personally, I grew up in a house filled with guns. My family has a lot of gun enthusiasts, and also members of a few clubs. I find myself trap shooting at least once every few months and I thoroughly enjoy it. One thing that I can say, is that no one in my family owns an automatic rifle. Although I totally support gun enthusiasts, I see no need for a non-military personnel to own an automatic rifle. This however, does not mean I support anti-arms laws, because I understand that people enjoy disassembling, building, and reassembling guns. I just personally have no need for an automatic rifle, and am not fascinated by them. For some people though, guns are their life and they use them day to day. Imagine if someone took something that you loved and involved in your day to day living away from you. You’d be really infuriated right? Then comes the “what about all of the gun related deaths and school shootings?” Well no matter what we do, if someone wants to kill 17 people and they’re set on doing that, then I believe not having access to guns will not stop them.
It may make it more difficult, but someone in that mental state will attempt to carry out their actions at all costs.
My opinion about guns changed from when I was a little girl to now. When I was younger I saw guns as a toy because that’s how I would play with my siblings using fake hand guns. I knew the rights and wrongs of holding and carrying a gun but being young I didn’t really put mind into it. Now that I’m older, I see guns as a weapon of safety and harm. Why do I say safety and harm? Safety because I know that that’s one of the reasons guns are used for , to protect one and their surroundings. Also my father always held a gun in our house growing up because hes a correctional officer. So I know guns come in handy depending on who hands they’re are in. Guns can also be harmful depending on who hands they end up in. Somebody that wants to cause harm to their surroundings or certain people are not acceptable and should not be aloud but its easier said then done. Background checks are definitely a number one topic for this non- stop going problem.
Growing up I have had a gun in my house. But as I got older I became friends with people who have and that experience has changed my life in so many ways. My mom and dad are not against guns but they are against guns in our house. When I was about 8 I started going to my friends house and we would shoot BB guns in his back yard with his dad. Now 11 years later I personally own a few guns. But I was taught the right and wrong way to use them. Guns themselves are not a bad thing and I personally believe more people should have or have accesses to guns but they need to go through courses and testing to be able to carry a gun. Guns are a tool to keep people safe but not everyone uses them that way. The guns don’t kill people and responsible people with guns don’t kill people but they crazy people with guns do kill people.
I grew up with guns in my house. Growing up I always saw them as a tool to help us incase something ever happened. I have never shot a gun but I want to learn. Guns are very dangerous obviously but if you are trained and go through a process you should be able to carry. No this does not mean I think everyone should be able to have one. People have been treating guns with no respect lately in this society but I think its good to remember that if someone has a motive they are going to stick with it no matter what. Those people who carry for protection will be able to help avoid major situations like that.
Growing up with a souther family I have fired many guns before. Even at a young age. But i do not believe it is necessary for everyone to have a gun. I belive that if someone who is not liscensed to fire a gun should not have a gun, and if they are shooting one they need to be strictly supervised. People these days are starting to treat guns as though they are toys and are not taking them seriously. Guns are extremely dangerous and have obviously ended many peoples lives even on accident. I believe it is necessary for specific guns to be owned maybe for protection or even hunting if you have a lisence. But it is not necessary just to have a gun and just to shoot it. I think there should be more extensive background searches and maybe even home checks for people that are trying to purchase guns.
I have never fired a gun before nor have i even held one. No one in my family owns guns or has any particular stance on gun ownership. I believe any level-headed citizen who does not have any kind of mental illness or criminal background should have the right to own a handgun. You should be allowed to keep a handgun in your house to protect yourself from potential intruders; but i believe that is the only reason anyone should own a gun. I think handguns should be the only type of gun that someone is allowed to purchase. There is absolutely no need for anyone to own a shotgun, or an assault rifle, etc. It is completely unnecessary to own those types of guns; and coincidentally those are the guns that are being used in these mass shootings across the U.S. I believe if the U.S. banned assault rifles completely and also used the methods that Japan uses to buy a gun, then the rate of shootings in the U.S. would drop. It won’t completely solve the problem but i think it could help drastically.
I did not grow up with guns in my house but my grandfather is a big part of my life and has many guns in his house. My grandfather was a marine for many years and then became a police officer. I feel safe when I step into my grandfather’s house and do not feel threatened due to his guns. If I were in someone’s house that I did not really know well I feel as though I would not feel as safe and comfortable. After reading this webpost about the guns in America, I became instantly shocked and worried. The fact that the United States has the highest rate of gun homicide is scary. Also, 90 out of 100 people carry guns which would not be a problem ikf the firearms homicide rate was not so high. The more guns there are, there is also higher rates of suicide. I do not agree with citizen’s being able to carry firearms freely and believe to be able to get a gun should be extremely difficult. Even though I feel this way about guns and carrying, I do believe that even if guns were illegal, people will still get them illegally and do harm if that is really what they want to do. The United States should really take notes from other countries though regarding citizens and firearms. This is because of 36 thousand fatalities are due to shootings each year and nineteen children are killed a day due to guns.
Actually, 90 out of 100 people do not carry guns, the statistic was 88.8 guns for every 100 people. This is a comparison between number of guns and population.
Actually, 90 out of 100 people do not carry guns, the statistic was 88.8 guns for every 100 people. This is a comparison between number of guns and population.
I am a working-class female. I have never lived in a house with a gun. I have never owned a gun but would like to when I am able to obtain a license. I have never fired a gun. Of the people that I know more gun owners tend to be men. I think that it should be easier for someone who was in the military or is to obtain a gun than a civilian if they have had an honorable discharge.