"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
The right to bear arms in the USA is one held dear by millions of people and it is such a precious right that politicians dare not speak out against such a ridiculous theory. It has been proven that legalising guns will cause more gun deaths and in the US in particular it is a staggering amount.
American children are more at risk from firearms than the children of any other industrialized nation. In one year, firearms killed no children in Japan, 19 in Great Britain, 57 in Germany, 109 in France, 153 in Canada, and 5,285 in the United States. (Centers for Disease Control)
The statistic above is frightening to say the least and is clear proof that the idea of protecting oneself with a firearm can only lead to more violence. In the UK carrying a gun is illegal except under very exceptional circumstances and it shows in the amount of gun related crime which is so low as to barely register a blip on the crime statistics. The idea of owning a gun or having one in the house is absurd to most British people and I genuinely cannot see a day in which it will every become law.
There is an oddity in the statistic above in that Canadian gun crime is relatively low in comparison to the number of guns owned and in stark contrast to the statistics that come out of the US every year. Some of you reading this will have very strong views that are pro gun ownership and I for one would love to hear them. Without doubt many gun deaths are caused by firearms that are owned illegally but this is a cultural problem, not a legal one. Because gun ownership is so widespread it becomes part of life and thus more access equals more deaths whether they be by violence, suicide or accident.
In a civilised society there is absolutely no need for legal gun ownership and in my mind it is an indicator of an overly violent society. America is in fact not overly violent but the guns remain and the politicians are still too scared to tackle the issue. I’m not saying that guns would disappear overnight if made illegal but someone needs to take a stand on this issue and shout down the people who feel they have a ‘right to bear arms’- it may have been relevant when the Constitution was written but it most certainly is not today.
The tragic consequences of this policy were made all too obvious in Virginia yesterday and it is far from the first time something like this has happened. These people were just starting their lives and there is no excuse for what happened…
“There are approximately 192 million privately owned firearms in the U.S. --65 million of which are handguns. Police Foundations, 1996”
“In 1997, 32,436 Americans were killed with firearms-in homicides, suicides and accidents. In comparison, 33,651 Americans were killed in the Korean War and 58,148 Americans were killed in the Vietnam War. National Center for Health Statistics, 1997”
“More than 1.2 million elementary-aged, latch-key children have access to guns in their homes. Lee, Journal of the American Medical Association, 1990”
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