America is a homicide and suicide by gun nation, but mass shootings get too much attention

[Truthseeker]

Compared to much of the developed world, America is a murderous country. The United Nations estimates the U.S. homicide rate is three times that of Canada, five of France, 26 of Japan. According to some studies, there are more guns in America today than there are people.

But if Americans often see the country’s streets as ever more dangerous scenes of public mass killings, the reality is more complicated.

While mass murders soak up the vast majority of the attention, more than half of America’s roughly 45,000 annual firearm deaths are from suicide. Mass shootings — defined as the deaths of four or more people, not including the shooter — have killed from 85 to 175 people each year over the past decade.

Gun violence in America: A long list of forgotten victims

There certainly should be gun control, in my opinion, but mass murder publicity encourages others to do mass murder themselves. The emphasis should also be in encouraging people to not buy guns. I hate the 2nd amendment, but this will be not be done away with another amendment. There is no hope for that.

 

[Lyndon]

So the fact is if you buy a gun the most likely thing you'll do with it is kill yourself or someone in your family, that's just great!

 

[Twilight Hue]

Compared to much of the developed world, America is a murderous country. The United Nations estimates the U.S. homicide rate is three times that of Canada, five of France, 26 of Japan. According to some studies, there are more guns in America today than there are people.

But if Americans often see the country’s streets as ever more dangerous scenes of public mass killings, the reality is more complicated.

While mass murders soak up the vast majority of the attention, more than half of America’s roughly 45,000 annual firearm deaths are from suicide. Mass shootings — defined as the deaths of four or more people, not including the shooter — have killed from 85 to 175 people each year over the past decade.

Gun violence in America: A long list of forgotten victims

There certainly should be gun control, in my opinion, but mass murder publicity encourages others to do mass murder themselves. The emphasis should also be in encouraging people to not buy guns. I hate the 2nd amendment, but this will be not be done away with another amendment. There is no hope for that.

Like I said in the past.

It's a psychopath generation that's being bred now.

Guns were fine until this sick generation of people arrived on the scene.

 

[crossfire]

Like I said in the past.

It's a psychopath generation that's being bred now.

Guns were fine until this sick generation of people arrived on the scene.

Actually, you might want to check the historical statistics first....
• Death rate for homicide in the U.S. 1950-2018 | Statista
Homoffendersbyage - Gun violence in the United States - Wikipedia

 

[RestlessSoul]

Like I said in the past.

It's a psychopath generation that's being bred now.

Guns were fine until this sick generation of people arrived on the scene.

Remind me again how many Presidents you guys have shot?

 

[Watchmen]

Compared to much of the developed world, America is a murderous country. The United Nations estimates the U.S. homicide rate is three times that of Canada, five of France, 26 of Japan. According to some studies, there are more guns in America today than there are people.

But if Americans often see the country’s streets as ever more dangerous scenes of public mass killings, the reality is more complicated.

While mass murders soak up the vast majority of the attention, more than half of America’s roughly 45,000 annual firearm deaths are from suicide. Mass shootings — defined as the deaths of four or more people, not including the shooter — have killed from 85 to 175 people each year over the past decade.

Gun violence in America: A long list of forgotten victims

There certainly should be gun control, in my opinion, but mass murder publicity encourages others to do mass murder themselves. The emphasis should also be in encouraging people to not buy guns. I hate the 2nd amendment, but this will be not be done away with another amendment. There is no hope for that.

The issue is way more complex than guns vs no-guns. For example, I’m confident the murder rates between Japan and the US would remain vastly different even with the same number of guns (or if both countries had none). Why? Because there are drastic societal and cultural differences that go beyond gun access.

 

[danieldemol]

Because there are drastic societal and cultural differences that go beyond gun access.

What are these societal and cultural differences you mention and how do they impact murder rates?

 

[Watchmen]

What are these societal and cultural differences you mention and how do they impact murder rates?

It’s complex. Do you disagree? Do you disagree there are differences that impact the issue?

 

[danieldemol]

It’s complex. Do you disagree? Do you disagree there are differences that impact the issue?

I'm neither agreeing or disagreeing, simply asking for more information. That is all.

In my opinion

 

[RestlessSoul]

It’s complex. Do you disagree? Do you disagree there are differences that impact the issue?

It's really not that complex. The more guns in circulation, the greater the number of people either a) getting shot, or b) shooting themselves. All the social, medical, psychological and moral issues that cause people to shoot each other still exist in countries where access to firearms is strictly controlled, but guess what? These issues don't result in shootings, mass or otherwise.

 

[Watchmen]

I'm neither agreeing or disagreeing, simply asking for more information. That is all.

In my opinion

One example of the differences: Japan expects people to follow rules without question—even rules that don’t make any sense. And guess what? By and large Japanese society complies. Such a rule following society is bound to have lower crime, including murders.

 

[PureX]

I'm neither agreeing or disagreeing, simply asking for more information. That is all.

In my opinion

The US has a long history of resolving any personal dispute with deadly force. Our 'go-to' response to problems with other humans is to obliterate them in with excessive violence. We see this ideal constantly glorified in our movies and music and literature. We also have a long history of seeing ourselves as 'lone wolves'; independent, self-empowered, beholding to no one (especially each other). And so we are obliged to dispense justice, ourselves, as we see fit. (So we think.) And yet we are living in an economic system that has effectively enslaved most of us. Creating a huge obsession with the gun culture fantasy. Guns are emblems, now, of masculinity, autonomy, independence, righteousness, and self-empowerment in a culture that has been stripping these away for a century, even as it glorifies them in the media.

So of course the US has a completely different idea of guns, gun violence, and gun culture than Japan, and than any other nation on Earth. Guns and righteous killing are huge cultural totems in the US, so of course we kill ourselves and each other with guns at an alarming rate. It's 'who we are', not just what we do.

 

[Watchmen]

It's really not that complex. The more guns in circulation, the greater the number of people either a) getting shot, or b) shooting themselves. All the social, medical, psychological and moral issues that cause people to shoot each other still exist in countries where access to firearms is strictly controlled, but guess what? These issues don't result in shootings, mass or otherwise.

False. The differences between Japan and the US would continue despite number of guns.

 

[RestlessSoul]

False. The differences between Japan and the US would continue despite number of guns.

Of course. But Japan has her own history of violence. If gun ownership were as widespread there as it is in the US, it’s pretty much a given that there’d be incidences of gun violence.

In any case, forget Japan. Do you think the USA has more murderous individuals per head among it’s population than, say, France, the U.K., Germany, China or New Zealand? Unlikely. It just has a lot more guns; and shootings.

 

[PureX]

Do you think the USA has more murderous individuals per head among it’s population than, say, France, the U.K., Germany, China or New Zealand? Unlikely. It just has a lot more guns; and shootings.

Yes. We in the US don't consider justified killing, murder, and we justify killing people very easily.

Except for unborn fetuses that haven't become people, yet. We only want to kill them AFTER they're born.

 

[Watchmen]

Of course. But Japan has her own history of violence. If gun ownership were as widespread there as it is in the US, it’s pretty much a given that there’d be incidences of gun violence.

In any case, forget Japan. Do you think the USA has more murderous individuals per head among it’s population than, say, France, the U.K., Germany, China or New Zealand? Unlikely. It just has a lot more guns; and shootings.

Japan has less violence than the USA. And why should we forget Japan? It was specifically mentioned in the post I originally responded to and it is something I know about.

 

[Audie]

The US has a long history of resolving any personal dispute with deadly force. Our 'go-to' response to problems with other humans is to obliterate them in with excessive violence. We see this ideal constantly glorified in our movies and music and literature. We also have a long history of seeing ourselves as 'lone wolves'; independent, self-empowered, beholding to no one (especially each other). And so we are obliged to dispense justice, ourselves, as we see fit. (So we think.) And yet we are living in an economic system that has effectively enslaved most of us. Creating a huge obsession with the gun culture fantasy. Guns are emblems, now, of masculinity, autonomy, independence, righteousness, and self-empowerment in a culture that has been stripping these away for a century, even as it glorifies them in the media.

So of course the US has a completely different idea of guns, gun violence, and gun culture than Japan, and than any other nation on Earth. Guns and righteous killing are huge cultural totems in the US, so of course we kill ourselves and each other with guns at an alarming rate. It's 'who we are', not just what we do.

So you figure that with no Glocks the boys of south Chicago would quit killing each other?

 

[PureX]

So you figure that with no Glocks the boys of south Chicago would quit killing each other?

No, they'll use knives and bats, as they did before they got hold of the glocks. But they won't be shooting any bystanders, then, as they routinely do, now.

 

[Audie]

Of course. But Japan has her own history of violence. If gun ownership were as widespread there as it is in the US, it’s pretty much a given that there’d be incidences of gun violence.

In any case, forget Japan. Do you think the USA has more murderous individuals per head among it’s population than, say, France, the U.K., Germany, China or New Zealand? Unlikely. It just has a lot more guns; and shootings.

Unlikely?
Not at all.
It's a racial / cultural thing.

Incidence of drug and alcohol abuse, rape murder violence is far higher in the black and native American population than in the Asian
population of the USA.

You could eventually get into trouble in Tokyo.

You would be lucky to get out of S Chicago alive.

Yeah theres more murderous per capita!

 

[Audie]

No, they'll use knives and bats, as they did before they got hold of the glocks. But they won't be shooting any bystanders, then, as they routinely do, now.

True blue.

And it's terrible that such things happen.

Whether the numbers call for a national policy
is another matter.

Re mass shooters, deprived entirely of guns,
what might be their next move?