Analysis | 1516 cases of mass shootings in 1735 days in US

Analysis | 1516 cases of mass shootings in 1735 days in US

On Monday, Americans woke up with terrifying news. 64-year-old shooter opened fire on the crowd gathered at a music festival in Las Vegas. Nearly 60 dead, hundreds injured – such is the terrible arithmetic of the tragedy.

The shooting was the bloodiest in the country’s history, which, unfortunately, have become accustomed to such cases – they are so frequent.

Analysis | 1516 cases of mass shootings in 1735 days in US

The gun cult

For many people in other countries the reason for this is obvious – weapons. According to police, the shooter – Stephen Paddock – was 18 to 20 weapons, some automatic. American gun laws are complex and differ from state to state, but in no other developed country in the world is impossible so easy to buy ammunition.

Not surprisingly, the level of deaths from firearms in the United States far exceeds other countries: in 16 times morethan Germany, 6 times morethan in Canada.

Gunviolencearchive made the visualization of the bloody digits over the last 1735 days in the United States occurred 1516 mass shootings.

Experts say the reasons for this «love» of Americans to arms many, but primarily is a consequence of historical events and successful marketing arms companies.

«The answer is simple: we are caught on a hook gun industry», — says Pamela Haag, author of the book «Business and the creation of a culture of American arms». «They positioned the gun as an object of emotional value, like a cult. But this commercial course deeply connected with the ideas of the American Republic. Gunsmiths refer to the founding fathers and the Second amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees the people’s right to the free possession of weapons».

And it’s not just words. According to The Washington Post, the leading lobbying group National Rifle Association – an influential «player» in American politics, which has weight even in the presidential election.

The number of weapons

The United States is home to 4.4% of the world’s population, but almost half of all the world’s weapons from civilians.

Analysis | 1516 cases of mass shootings in 1735 days in US

The number of executions

In December 2012, a shooter entered an elementary school sandy hook in Newtown, Connecticut and killed 20 children, six adults and then killed himself.

According to Gun Violence Archive, since in the USA there were more than 1518 mass shootings, which killed at least 1715 people, and 6 089 were injured. By the way, even if not to take into account the mass executions, according to the 2014 year in America from firearms killed more than 33 thousand people.

 

Every day more than one mass shooting

The average in America is bigger than one mass shooting a day. Surprisingly, every time after such tragedies supporters of the right to bear arms say that it is inappropriate to start a political debate about gun control, believing this to be speculation on the topic.

As reported by Vox, for example, the former Governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal, an ardent supporter of gun rights, criticized the former President Barack Obama for «attempting to score cheap political points» when Obama mentioned gun control after the mass shooting in Church of Charleston, South Carolina.

Analysis | 1516 cases of mass shootings in 1735 days in US

In States with a large number of weapons more deaths from it

 

Using data from studies of Pediatrics and the Centers for control and prevention of diseases, the group Mother Jones has created a graph that shows the correlation: in States where more firearms generally, and more deaths from it. «And this is not the only such study,» says Harvard scientist David Hemenway.

According to economist Richard Florida, he found that the number of migrants in the state or people with mental illness do not correlate with the increase in the number of deaths from firearms. But there is another correlation: in States where there are more strict legal control, the number of deaths from weapon less.

The murder of the police

Since the murder of Michael brown in Ferguson, Missouri, August 9, 2014, police shot and killed in the United States, at least 2 902 persons (as of may 2017).

Non-profit organization Fatal Encounters tracked the cases of media and data to law enforcement authorities. Of course, this number includes killings that were justified.

Suicide

States that have reduced access to guns, noticed the decline in the number of suicides, as most people use firearms to commit suicide.

The experience of other countries

Data Australian researchers show what happened once the country has tightened laws on weapons and reduced the number of units, about one-fifth.

 

As told to the researcher Vox’s Dylan Matthews, as a result, the number of deaths from firearms fell by 50%, and the number of suicides decreased by 74%. Something similar happened in Israelwhen the soldiers were forbidden to take their weapons with them for the weekend.

«Gun for Americans is not just a subject, not the technology, not just a controversial topic that is the object of respect,» wrote American historian and journalist Garry wills after a series of mass shootings in 2012. «Devotion to him entails sacrifices, but those who worship him believe that he is capable only of good things. Believe that he shall guarantee the life, security and freedom. This is even the law says. While the law may ask and punish for it? – ask the supporters of the arms».

 

 

 

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