There are few places in the world that love their guns as much as the United States of America. So much so, that the country has one hundred and twenty guns for every one hundred citizens. And why wouldn’t they love guns? The country was shaped by them, their independence formed out the barrel of a gun. Arms are a part of their history, and the right to carry them is embedded in their constitution. It moulded them into the superpower they are today. They couldn’t possibly possess the most powerful military in the world without their beloved firearms. Quite clearly the mass number of guns in the country is the reason why they are the “freest” country in the world.
Unfortunately, it seems the countless mass shootings, tens of thousands of gun related homicides and the over twenty thousand-gun related suicides every year are a trade-off for all that freedom. If only there was a way to minimize these deaths. Perhaps then the atrocities such as the Sandy Hook Elementary Shooting would not have taken place, where 20 children, aged 6 and 7 years old and 6 teachers were shot and killed with an assault rifle. “Thoughts and prayers” were given but that did not prevent the next school shooting that took place only 31 days later. Or the 26 mass shootings in the following year. If only there was a way the United States could enjoy the recreational use of their firearms and limit the number of gun related deaths. But this could only happen in a perfect world… As it turns out this perfect world does exist, and its name is New Zealand.
So, what is responsible for the United States’ outrageous number of gun related deaths? A number of causes are immediately apparent. The United States of America holds more civilian owned guns than any other country, an estimated total of over 393 million. The pure number of firearms in the country is clearly a cause. The simple philosophy being that with less guns to use, the rate of crime relating to firearms would decrease. Evidence of this is Indonesia. With an incredibly low number of guns, only 0.03 firearms per one hundred citizens. The countries gun crime is minimal as it is almost impossible to get your hands on a gun. As a result, the countries murder rate is one of the lowest in the world. The United States’ huge number of guns stems from how easily available they are to buy. In even the most pro-gun control states any eighteen-year-old entering a Walmart can purchase a semi-automatic rifle after passing a five-minute background check, which 99% of people pass. The country has nearly 65,000 licensed gun dealers and hosts more than 5,000 gun shows nationwide. Many of which are backed and funded by the National Rifle Association (NRA). At these gun shows unlicensed “private” venders are able to sell arms without any records of sales or any form of background check whatsoever, this technicality known as “Gun Show loophole” has created a sort of institutionalized black market where weapons are traded in private and...
