Gun violence is a human rights issue, a legal issue, a health issue, a taxation issue, and, above all, a conscience issue.
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Liberal gun usage causes death and misery. And it costs a lot of money to taxpayers. We can’t just wait for a stray bullet to hit our chest, causing a hemorrhage and death. Today, the odds of getting hit in a gun violence is greater than winning the lottery. Thus, we must act now to stop it, before it’s too late.
Statistics on casualties of gun violence in the United States showed that the only way to stop such violence is to follow Australia’s example by adopting a strict gun control. In 1996, a mass shooting in Australia killed 35 and injured 23. And it was enough for the Australian government to impose strict gun laws. Since then, no more mass killings have occurred there.
Why the US federal government hasn’t implemented a stricter gun control can be reduced to one simple reason: it touches on a delicate subject that many people have interests in keeping at the status quo.
The recent massacre at a popular gay nightclub in Orlando killed 50 and injured 53. It was only slightly more than half of the average number of people who die from a gunshot wound every day. Data showed that 91 Americans are killed by guns every day. Every month, 51 women are shot by their husbands or partners in domestic disputes. Every year, approximately 12,000 people are killed.
Americans are ten times likely to be killed by guns compared to other developed countries. In the top 22 high-income nations, death by gun rate in the USA is 25 times higher. GunViolenceArchive.org discloses the sheer number of shootings occurring every day, which you might not even aware of. Many shootings aren’t covered by national media.
Read the latest statistics of mass shootings this year.
Read the statistics for the last 72 hours.
According to BradyCampaign.org, gun violence costs US taxpayers $100 billion annually. And almost half of lifetime medical cost of gun violence victims, which is estimated at $2.3 billion, are borne by taxpayers.
What should we do, then, as individuals?
First, remove guns from the premises. If your family members own a gun, ask them to surrender it to the police to be destroyed. Don’t give it away to someone else and don’t resell it, as it may get into the hands of the wrong people.
Second, support gun control activism, like BradyCampaign.org. Sign the petition, call your congressman/woman, and donate to non-profit organizations. Start your own gun control activism. The more pressure we create, the better. You can write, speak about, and lobby your local representatives.
Third, spend your spare time educating people about the danger of gun possession and there are many other ways to protect themselves. Create graphs and charts to show how overwhelming the statistics are. Compare the figures with nations with low gun violence. Post them on your blog.
Fourth, request for support from international organizations that would support strict gun control law. Amnesty International, for instance, has shown support to Obama’s initiative on tighter gun control.
Let’s work together one step at a time, to end gun violence in America and the whole world. We can start with ourselves with whatever we can. A strict gun control is inevitable and will eventually materialize.
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Photo: Getty Images