Gun Killings 25 Times Higher in U.S. Than Elsewhere

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Whether or not you like guns, the facts don’t lie: The United States has a huge problem with gun crime. A study published in The American Journal of Medicine, based on data collected by the World Health Organization in 2010, shows that Americans are 10 times more likely than citizens of any other high-income country to…

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Professor Mike

Professor Mike is a left-leaning, dog loving, political junkie. He has written dozens of articles for Substack, Medium, Simily, and Tribel. Professor Mike has been published at Smerconish.com, among others. He is a strong proponent of the environment, and a passionate protector of animals. In addition he is a fierce anti-Trumper. Take a moment and share his work.
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8 years ago

From a lot of general listening I’ve done, the reason a great many people justify owning guns is that they are afraid — because they are told they are likely to be the victim of a theater shooting, a school shooting or the like and there won’t be police there to save them. Irrational fear sells guns and guns sell fear. Fear is the enemy of reason and fear is not going to provide workable, legal and acceptable gun control.

On the list of what’s certainly going to kill me, murder by firearm is so far down on the probability list it’s not worth thinking about and who has the right to limit my freedom so I don’t kill myself? Is the government the guardian of private morality? Not a good argument, I think.

I suspect that these other rich countries also don’t have nearly the number of indigent, uneducated and outcast people that we do. They have a far better social safety net, free education among other factors. I don’t think we can compare the US to Sweden so fairly. The whole truth is wholly complex.

There are other concerns than “safety first” that are widely held and people have a basic right to hold them. Many prefer the risks of allowing power to the citizen than the safety of a government in loco parentis. No numbers are going to change that opinion or erode the right of the people to feel that way.

If we are to become a country where only the government has guns, the public will tend to fear government by intimidation and since police power and police presence is always limited, will we ever feel safer than if we had the power to defend ourselves, even if it’s illusory? The danger is beside the point, the will of the electorate is primary.

whether it pertains to alcohol, tobacco, firearms, explosives or drugs or vehicles or private consensual behavior, the arguments from safety and morality shouldn’t be a defense against the power of the electorate and no matter how many fearful people wish it were otherwise those are only appeals to the voters not license to the government.

The proclivity of some liberals to ignore the ethical basis of our government and assume that its power derives from health and safety experts rather than the manifest consent of the electorate scares me most of all and I don’t think I’m unusual in thinking so.

Glenn Geist
Reply to  Professor Mike
8 years ago

Not at all. Feel free to edit where advisable

Thebob
8 years ago

Do none of the facts in here make any sense to any of you retards…64% of all gun deaths in the US are self inflicted suicide….S E L F I N F L I C T E D…..We have gun control already in this country…It WILL DO NOTHING TO KEEP FIRE ARMS OUT OF CRIMINALS HANDS…90% of guns used in crimes are STOLEN and bought and sold on the black market…Police should be the last people to carry guns….Legal Murder for hires…

Reply to  Professor Mike
8 years ago

You tell ’em Mike! Fucking stupid trolls, and this guy is dumber than most.

Reply to  Timmy Mahoney
8 years ago

See how angry people are? There are many reasons that might explain why so many Americans are totally batshit on so many subjects but the result is that there is no way to discuss or legislate or do anything at all about our violence problems, our race problems and a whole lot of other problems. I don’t think it helps that we have a huge industry and a massive voluntary citizens auxiliary broadcasting and tweeting and blogging and trolling hate and anger all day and all night.

But that existing gun control laws haven’t eliminated our problem with bad and mad people with guns is pretty obvious and it should make us think twice about all those sure-cures we propose.

I don’t think I’m being a troll though to think we need better trained and prepared police and to pay the tab for it. I have to understand the idea that gun control advocates like to portray things as much worse than is strictly true and that there is less and less room for moderates and rationalists in the middle. When trolls start talking in generalities like “the cops” or “the gun nuts” I have to tune it out or waste an otherwise good morning responding to blog posts!

Reply to  Thebob
8 years ago

So all cops are bad? You don’t want to say shit like that over here man. And we need gun control.

Pim
8 years ago

People need to be able to buy guns for protection and hunting, as well as target shooting. I do agree the US needs gun control so they can at least stop shooting each other by accident. You folks are embarrassing yourselves.

8 years ago

This doesn’t surprise me. No one but law enforcement should be allowed to carry guns.

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