As the media tends to do, they give you a warped understanding of what is actually going on. According to PEW research, about 1,000 of the 21,000 people killed by guns in 2021 were victims of mass shootings (incidents where 4 or more people were shot). 54% of gun deaths are suicides - that's 11,340 of the 21,000 killed by guns in 2021. This means several things (note 2023 numbers are way up, but not so much as to change these conclusions):
1. It's statistically very unlikely you or your children will be in a mass shooting incident, even with one or more happening every day.
2. Mental illness is a big part of the problem, as we could cut the deaths in half if we could stop suicides.
3. Where there are guns, people get shot. That's why gun deaths are higher in Red states - where gun control tends to be non-existent.
What do we do?
First, harden obvious targets like schools and malls. This is difficult to do for 2 reasons: First, statistically, it doesn't make economic sense (and the right's not interested in admitting we need it). And second, it would make an all-out ban on weapons harder (the left wants a full gun ban, not a quick fix).
Gun bans do work historically. They worked in colonial towns where men walked around intoxicated most of the time. It worked in the west where you checked your gun at the sheriff's office. It got fully automatic weapons off the street in the 20s. And it worked for a decade+ under the Brady Bill. Guns can be neutralized without confronting gun owners - simply get rid of the ammo and raise the penalties for getting caught with them. I think the majority of gun owners faced with losing the value of their weapons and having them become useless would give them up.
Oddly enough, this is a time like no other in our history. While it's always been a misconception that 2A was intended to protect the citizens from an aggressive government, sub-governmental groups now constitute a serious threat to civilized citizens. It's comical to hear left-wing leaders ask why you need a weapon of war. We actually need them to fight a war as there are groups who threaten civilized America every day.
Still, get guns out of the hands of people younger than 21. Register them and make owners pass renewal tests just like a driver's license. And finally, 100% background check with 30-day cooldown periods.
www.kff.org
www.bellingcat.com
www.dailymail.co.uk
