Let's Talk About Guns in the U.S. (2022)

Okay, I just finished listening to the entire Tucker Carlson clip. (Tucker: There is something really wrong)

Here are my 2 cents as a member of the younger generation. Information is pulled from neutral sources (such as BBC or NPR), found on this chart:

This is not an "either mental health support OR better gun control", this is a "mental health support AND better gun control". The U.S. has the most mass shootings per year in the entire WORLD, and by a drastic amount. The solution is not just mental health, because if that were true, we would see other countries in a similar situation. As of yesterday (5/25/22), we were only 145 days into the year, yet we have seen 213 mass shootings (NPR News, 2022). This averages to about 10 shootings per week. Mass shootings are defined as 4+ people murdered, not including the shooter.

(BBC News, 2022)

A more thorough list of gun data can be found here: https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/. This group is an independent data collection organization, and they update the information every day. Carlson also claims that "there are more guns than people, and there always has been". This is probably false.

(WSJ, 2021)

Mentally ill people will find a gun on the black market even if gun laws are stronger, so mental health absolutely needs to be addressed. People need to have better access to mental health resources. Care needs to stop being so expensive (many people who need it are too poor to even get help because it costs too much). There needs to be more social workers and who need better pay, and more resources to help young people and families. Until this large problem is addressed (which will take forever because this is something that needs to change on a systematic scale), it should NOT be this easy to buy guns.

(BBC News, 2022)

And fucking hell, no one needs a military-grade weapon. That should NEVER have been put on the public market for your average person to own. The Second Amendment ("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") was written during the era of MUSKETS. It's SO outdated and does not meet the current needs of the U.S., nor does it address the advancements made in gun technology.

The suspect of the Uvalde attack bought 2 military-grade assault rifles shortly after his 18th birthday (NPR News, 2022). It was easier for him to purchase a murder weapon than it was for him to get an alcoholic drink. Let that sink in.

(BBC News, 2022)

I keep hearing people say "I can't believe this is happening again, I never could've imagined this…etc.", which is such a wrong thing to say right now. No one took action after the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012 - that should've lit a fire under everyone's butt to make ANY change.

(BBS News, 2022)

In his segment, Carlson disagrees with the call for the gun lobbyists to take accountability for the lax gun laws and gun accessibility in the U.S. He says, sarcastically, that "politicians [are] offering solutions to the tragedy that in the end only serve to make their political party more powerful". His personal opinion is that the NRA plays no role in influencing members of Congress, state politicians, or the general public regarding gun control issues. Here is what I have found:

The National Rifle Association (NRA) was formed in 1871 by two Union veterans designed to "promote and encourage rifle shooting on a scientific basis" after witnessing the lack of marksmanship by their troops (NRA, 2022). In 1934, the NRA began political lobbying by writing its members information about firearms bills. In 1975, it began attempting to influence policy directly via a newly formed lobbying arm, the Institute for Legislative Action. In 1977 it formed its own Political Action Committee (PAC), to channel funds to legislators (NPR News, 2022). In terms of lobbying, the NRA officially spends about $3m per year to influence gun policy - the recorded amount spent on lobbying in 2014 was $3.3m. However, that is only the recorded contributions to lawmakers, and considerable sums are spent elsewhere via PACs and independent contributions - funds that are difficult to track (NPR News, 2022). One of the main arguments of the NRA is that more guns make the country safer. Numerical data says otherwise.

(BBC News, 2022)

Midterm elections are fast approaching. Please take the time to check out OpenSecrets.org, a website tracking money in politics that’s run by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, before you make decisions this year. This is the data of the top 20 people as of April 2022:

Looking in-depth into this took me a few hours. I know that a lot of people will not agree with me, but I hope that by compiling this information, I can at least shed some light on the situation, and give some insight into how I and others approach what is happening.

Resources:

1. Ahmed, S. (2022, May 25). It's 21 weeks into the Year and America has already seen 213 mass shootings. NPR. Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/2022/05/15/1099008586/mass-shootings-us-2022-tally-number

2. BBC. (2022, May 17). US midterm elections - A simple guide. BBC News. Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61274333

3. BBC. (2022, May 25). America's gun culture - in seven charts. BBC News. Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41488081

4. BBC. (2022, May 25). US gun control: What is the NRA and why is it so powerful? BBC News. Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35261394

5. FoxNewsChannel. (2022, May 25). Tucker: There is something really wrong. YouTube. Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui8wgo3iI18

6. Gun rights: Top recipients. Opensecrets RSS. (2022, April 18). Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips.php?ind=Q13&recipdetail=A&sortorder=U&mem=Y&cycle=2022

7. Gun violence archive. Gun Violence Archive. (2022, May 24). Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/

8. Ingraham, C. (2021, November 24). Analysis | there are more guns than people in the United States, according to a new study of global firearm ownership. The Washington Post. Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/06/19/there-are-more-guns-than-people-in-the-united-states-according-to-a-new-study-of-global-firearm-ownership/

9. Media Bias Chart Gallery - Public. Ad Fontes Media. (2022, March 28). Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://adfontesmedia.com/gallery/

10. National Rifle Association. (2022). About the NRA. NRA.ORG. Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://home.nra.org/about-the-nra/