Page 42 - Time Magazine-November 05, 2018

MORE SOME STRICTER
GUNS IN WEAPONS AND GUN-CONTROL
THE U.S.... ACCESSORIES... LAWS...

contributes may deter don’t belong are reduce won’t stop
to more gun criminal in civilian wrongly gun gangs and
deaths activity hands vilified deaths outlaws

The firearm homicide The number of Weapons with Rifles—including Given all gun Gangs are
rate is far higher in civilian firearms high-capacity the popular deaths— responsible for
the U.S. than in has grown. magazines were AR-15—are homicides, much of the
other high-income used in 15 of 133 used in far fewer suicides and country’s violent
countries. The 265 shootings homicides than accidents— crime.
MILLION
firearm suicide rate 170 involving at least other weapons states with In general,
is also higher. MILLION four victims from such as stronger gun criminals don’t
2009 to 2015. handguns and laws have fewer follow gun laws.
Gun homicides These instances knives. gun fatalities. Convicted prison
PER 1 MILLION 1990 2015 had more inmates who
PEOPLE, 2016
casualties. Weapons used Gun death had a gun at the
1 Yet both murder Average number IN 66,231 HOMICIDES, rates time of their
2012–16
PER 100,000
Germany and violent crime of victims shot PEOPLE, 2007–10 offense had
rates have 48% acquired it
2 generally fallen. Handguns 2.9 10.6 through back
13 channels.
Australia
Gun homicides 13.3 5.2 12% Top 12
PER 1 MILLION PEOPLE 5 Knives Source
3 strictest of firearm
65 states
France 5% 2004
40 High-capacity Hands/feet
magazines 6.2 16.8 40%
5 used 3% Street or
1990 2015
Canada Other Blunt objects Middle 24 illegal source
weapons used
Violent crime states 37%
PER 100,000 PEOPLE 2% Family or friend
Average number Rifles
732 of victims killed 8.2 18 11%
383 2% Retail/pawnshop/
8 Shotguns Bottom 14 gun show
7.5 5.1 states
17% UNKNOWN GUN
1990 2017 9% OTHER (NON-GUN) 11% OTHER
U.S. 40 5
SOURCES: RUSSELL SAGE SOURCE: FBI SOURCES: FBI; DOJ, BUREAU
FOUNDATION; CDC; FBI OF JUSTICE STATISTICS
SOURCE: IHME, UNIVERSITY SOURCE: EVERYTOWN SOURCE: BOSTON
OF WASHINGTON FOR GUN SAFETY CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
firearms tramping in the woods. Most today live in different. In cities like St. Louis, which has lost a sig-
a suburb, neither city nor country, and in many ways nificant chunk of its population to the suburbs in re-
the culture of gun ownership toggles between the two. cent decades and frequently has the highest murder
Rural culture often evokes a defiant individualism rate in the country, not everyone experiences gun vi-
that draws on the mythology of the American frontier, olence in equal measure. Black Americans are more
and a resistance to regulation as righteous and likely to be shot than their white counterparts, and
absolutist as anything free-speech advocates marshal community leaders say much of the gun culture is
in defense of their own favorite amendment. Gun tied to a lack of access to education, jobs and opportu-
owners are often gun enthusiasts, and a majority of nity. “If we had better job opportunities, better men-
owners have more than one gun. Research shows that tors, better role models ... then we wouldn’t see this
while there are more guns in America than there were as much,” says Emeara Burns, a 20-year-old college
20 years ago, they are owned by a smaller share of the student and activist who grew up hearing gunshots
population. Roughly 40% of Americans live in a gun- in her St. Louis neighborhood.
owning household, but just 30% own guns, according Shootings are a common occurrence across the
to recent Pew Research Center and Gallup surveys. country. On an average day, six children are injured
Other studies have put the percentage of those who or killed in unintentional shootings, according to
personally own guns even lower, at about 22%. And data from the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
only 4.4 % of Americans over 16 actually hunt. vention (CDC). From 2012 to 2016, the last years
The view from urban America is markedly for which data is available, an average of 35,000
29